The mystery of justice
by ItReignsJustice-619
Summary: A few years have passed by and monotony has taken over for Roman & Karo, Dean & Shannon as well as Seth & Maxine. How will each individual deal with the situation? And what does the future hold for them all? – Sequel to the 'Justice series'. (Other stories and links to be found in the 1st chapter of this story). Roman Reigns/OC, Dean Ambrose/OC, Seth Rollins/OC
1. The mystery of justice

**Title: The mystery of justice**

By: ItReignsJustice-619

Rating: NC-17, sexual content, adult themes, language

Characters: Roman Reigns x OC, Dean Ambrose x OC, Seth Rollins x OC

Summary: A few years have passed by and monotony has taken over for Roman & Karo, Dean & Shannon as well as Seth & Maxine. How will each individual deal with the situation? And what does the future hold for them all? – Sequel to "Please protect me from injustice", "The eye of justice is always watching", "Will justice prevail?!", "Justice has been served", "The sweet taste of justice" , "Justice always wins" and "What's mine is yours".

 **Disclaimer: I do not know or own any of the people in this story who are not born of my imagination. The characters of the WWE superstars are based off of their TV personas. I actually use their gimmick names and not their real-life names as I personally think that this seems to be easier for everyone to read.**

Here you can find the links to the original stories:

"Please protect me from injustice" ( s/9046424/1/Please-protect-me-from-injustice),

"The eye of justice is always watching" ( s/9483245/1/The-eye-of-justice-is-always-watching)

"Will justice prevail?!" ( s/9572393/1/Will-justice-prevail)

"Justice has been served" ( s/9856895/1/Justice-has-been-served)

"The sweet taste of justice" ( s/10139709/1/The-sweet-taste-of-justice)

"Justice always wins" (s/10274034/1/Justice-always-wins) and "What's mine is yours" ( s/10877443/1/What-s-mine-is-yours)

 _Thanks so much for the support you've given me for all the stories of this series. I hope you stick with me through this one as well ;-) You know I always give you my best :)_

 **…**  
 **  
** _ **I'm bahaaaack. To be honest, I've had the urge to write for quite some time now, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. That probably doesn't make sense, but well…never mind ;-)**_

Maybe some of you think I should finally let go of Roman and Karolina, Seth and Maxine as well as Dean and Shannon (let's not forget about their beautiful kids), but I just can't help it. So, here we go with another sequel about our favourite couples. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. And prepare yourselves for yet another rollercoaster ride!

 **…**

 **Chapter 1: A mystery to be revealed**

The moment he finally made her cum was the very moment he slipped out of her, making quick work of freeing himself of the used condom, tossing it into the trash can that was right next to her bed.

That was how it always went by. They would meet at her place, get rid of their clothes in the fastest way possible and simply make each other cum. No foreplay, no cuddling, no nothing. It was a sad reality. She would lie if she said it didn't hurt how he treated her. But she knew she had no right to reproach him for it. She made a pact with the devil when she started seeing him. And she knew it. Yet she still couldn't help but fight for his affection over and over again.

"Don't you think you can stay a little longer today? Just this once?" she asked with hope shining in her brown eyes, the bed sheet wrapped tightly around her body while he was picking up his clothes that were spread all over the floor.

"You know I can't. How many times do I need to tell you that I have family waiting for me at home?" he asked slightly annoyed, hating himself for once again becoming weak, taking it out on his lover when he knew very well that it was his own fault.

He was a cheater. A man who betrayed his wife, his family.

"If you cared so much about your family, you wouldn't be here in the first place," she replied defiantly, trying very hard to suppress the tears that were about to escape her eyes. But she didn't want to cry in front of him. She wouldn't show him just how much he really meant to her.

His lips were in a thin line now, his breathing shallow. He hated to be reminded of what a big asshole he was. He very well knew it himself.

"Cassie, I swear to God…just drop it, ok? I'll call you whenever I get the chance to. Don't even think about sending me a text, aight?" he more ordered than asked, pulling the blue shirt over his head after having slipped into his jeans just a few seconds before.

He turned around when he heard her sob, sighing heavily when he noticed that she had lost her inner battle, tears streaming down her face now.

"Babe, don't do this now…please…don't cry," he pleaded desperately, sitting down next to her on the bed, running a hand through her long black hair, sincerely hating to see her cry. "I'm sorry for barking at you like that. But you need to understand that…"

"Stop…I…I don't wanna fight with you right now. Just…just leave and be with them. I understand…I promise," she lied, wiping away the tears and giving him a fake smile. Like she always did when he was about to leave her.

She knew she needed to be understanding if she wanted him to come back to her again. If she made him feel guilty, he would possibly have a change of heart, and most likely leave her for good. He meant too much to her already. Being without him wasn't an option to her anymore.

"Are you sure?" he asked concerned, not sure if he could believe her or not. He wasn't trying to be an asshole on purpose, but he was so confused by the mess he put himself into that he just couldn't help it.

When she nodded her head with a small smile on her face, he decided to believe her, quickly pecking her cheek before grabbing his wallet and keys.

"So, will you call me whenever you get back from the road next week?" she asked him curiously, getting up to follow him to the front door.

"You know I will," he answered confidently, smirking at her mischievously before once again kissing her cheek. "See ya, babe. Go and get some sleep."

And with that he was gone, heading back home to be with his family, leaving her behind, all by herself. She knew that this would happen. She would always only be the concubine. His wife would always be his number one. He had no idea how much it hurt when he once again told her that he loved her, that he couldn't leave her. That he didn't _want_ to leave her. But that was what they had agreed on in the beginning. Sex, nothing else. He had told her in all honesty that he needed a change, that he needed to get away from his hectic everyday life. And at first it was okay with her. That was what she wanted from him as well, nothing else. Back then, she had no idea she would develop feelings for him. How could she?

She had no idea how much longer she could continue doing this. But she also knew that she didn't want to give up on him just yet. It was a vicious circle.

 **…**

"For fuck's sake…relax…I'm on my way," Dean yelled, only reluctantly getting off of the couch, annoyed that somebody was bugging him when for once he had the whole place to himself.

The doorbell had already rung twice, not to mention the never-ending knocks that his front door had to endure. One thing was for sure: the person on the other side of the door definitely had an ass-kicking coming his or her way.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" he grumbled the moment he had opened the door, rolling his eyes in irritation when he realized it was Seth.

"Mommy always tells us not to curse, Uncle Dean. You owe us a dollar now," Joan said, looking at her twin sister Hayley expectantly before nodding her head, both of them continuing simultaneously. "Each."

"I swear to God, Rollins. You'd better have a damn good reason for turning up here just like that," Dean scoffed, gritting his teeth when Seth's daughters once again asked him for yet another dollar, reminding him that he had cursed again.

"I'm sorry, dude. I really need your help," Seth said with desperation shining in his eyes, softly shoving his little girls into Dean's house, not even caring that his best friend didn't even invite them in. "Can you keep them for a few hours? I need to get something done really urgently."

"What? No! Why don't you go ask Karo or whoever the fuck is around?" Dean asked, not even closing the front door to show Seth that he wasn't in the mood to watch the kids.

"Uncle Deeeean," Joan and Hayley admonished in a sweet voice, both of them holding up their hands expectantly, smiling when Dean took out his wallet in annoyance, and inattentively giving them both a 20 dollar bill.

"She's home with Siaki, he's sick. Roman is helping Sika with gardening or something. And with Maxi and Shan being in the gym, you're the only one that could help me…come on, man. It's just the two of them," Seth pleaded, knowing that both Leni and Dylan were in kindergarten.

"Where are you even going, dude? Can't you take them with you?" he wondered, still hoping to find another solution so that he could keep enjoying his 'free' afternoon.

"I definitely can't. Please Dean…just this once," he begged, grinning when he realized that Dean was finally about to give in.

"How long will you be gone?" he asked with a sigh, following Seth who was slowly making his way back to the open front door.

"About two hours, I guess. I owe you, man. Big time. Thanks," he said with a genuine smile on his face, fist-bumping his best friend before waving at his girls, blowing them a kiss. "I love you, girls. Behave and be good for Uncle Dean, you hear me?"

"We love you too, daddy," they answered in unison, waving back at him with big smiles on their faces.

When Dean turned around after closing the door, both Joan and Hayley were standing side by side, looking at him in anticipation.

"So…first of all…," Dean started with a sigh, looking back and forth between the twin sisters, squinting his eyes in concentration. "Who's who?"

Although Joan and Hayley were not identical twins, Dean had a hard time telling them apart. Obviously, he was the only one out of all of their friends that was having trouble. It was needless to say it made him the target of countless jokes.

"I'm Hayley," Hayley said, unnoticeably nudging her sister's arm with hers.

"So you are Hayley," he pointed to the girl that had just answered him.

"No, I'm Hayley," Joan claimed, trying very hard to suppress the urge to laugh when Dean looked at her confused, scratching the back of his head.

"But she just said she's Hayley," Dean retorted, pointing to the other girl.

"But I'm Joan," Hayley said, giggling when Dean closed his eyes in despair, sighing heavily.

"You know what? I don't care! You…," he pointed to Joan (or whoever she really was), nodding his head to convince himself. "You are kid 1, and you are kid 2."

"So I'm kid 2?" Joan asked, once again confusing the short-haired man. The little girl needed to pay close attention to what her uncle said before she mixed everything up herself.

"Ahhhh," Dean shouted, losing his patience with the twins, mentally slapping himself for even opening the door in the first place. "I don't care…I don't fucking care. Both of you, get over to the couch. You can watch cartoons…you can watch whatever you want. Here, take all my money... take it."

He literally shoved a few dollar bills into their tiny hands, paying them in advance for all the swearing he knew he was about to do, hoping deep down that they would just sit still and watch TV until Seth finally picked them up again.

 **…**

"I really think Dean and I need to get away for a few days. I know all this media stuff is exhausting him…but hey, that's the price you have to pay when you're the World Heavyweight Champion. And I keep telling him that each and every time," Shannon sighed, looking over at Maxine who was on the treadmill next to her.

"Are you guys still fighting so much?" the auburn-haired woman asked concerned, breathing heavily.

"Well, we finally managed to talk about it all, and I told him that I understand that he is stressed out from being on the road so much, but that he still needs to spend time with Dylan when he's home. We can't keep fighting in front of him either, and I think Dean gets it now. It's still tense sometimes though," Shannon replied, taking a sip of her water.

"I really think you shouldn't worry about it that much. Seth and I had a rough patch as well, especially when he had that knee injury again. He was such a pain in the ass that I was about to send him over to Karo and Roman's. But you know that in the end we love these dumbasses and we don't want to be without them anymore. We ask a lot of them by being there for us 24/7 on their few days off," Maxine explained, always being the most understanding of them all.

"That's what Karo said as well. So she just lets Roman do his golfing thingy whenever he feels the need to relax a little. Although I'll never understand how playing golf relaxes you. Roman is one of the finest examples of showing us that we're getting old," the brown-haired girl said, making Maxine chuckle.

"Speaking of getting old…," Maxine started after a few moments of silence, looking over at her friend, hesitation shining in her light green eyes.

"Spill the beans, honey. I'm all up for some gossip," the slightly older woman stated, wiggling her eyebrows, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Well, I don't know about you and Dean, but…God…I just miss those good old days where Seth and I made love for hours. It's just not happening anymore," Maxine whined, wiping off the sweat on her forehead with a towel.

"I would lie if I said I missed Dean making love to me for hours if we hardly ever make love," Shannon teased, very well aware of the fact that it was well-known to their friends that her husband and she were more into the rough and kinky stuff when it came to the bedroom. "But well, what can I say? It's definitely not the boobies' fault."

Shortly after Dean and Shannon's wedding as well as Siaki's birth about three years ago, Maxine finally got her boob job done. The breast implants had definitely given her an ego boost, making her more self-confident than she ever thought she could be. At the same time it had revived her relationship and marriage with Seth, ultimately making him happy as well.

"Shannon…I'm serious…," Maxine groaned, rolling her eyes when her friend giggled.

"I know, I know…I'm sorry," Shannon apologized, holding up her hands in defeat. "I just don't think it means anything. Don't you think you should take your own advice right here? I mean, as you already said, the boys are exhausted from being on the road so much, the kids want to spend every single second with them as soon as they are home. Do you think Dean and I spend that much quality time with each other? We definitely don't. It's the same with Roman and Karo. Just yesterday Karo told me they squeezed in a quickie between Leni watching her favorite cartoon and Siaki taking a nap."

"She must hate not being able to be vocal then," Maxine said mockingly, knowing from her own experience by having a hotel room next to them a couple of times that Karolina was having a hard time keeping her mouth shut whenever she reached _that_ peak.

"She told me that Roman had to throw a pillow at her a while ago so that she could scream into it when he was eating her out," Shannon laughed, slowing down on the treadmill a little. "But in all seriousness, don't worry, sweetie. We're all in the same boat. It will get better as soon as the guys have their Christmas break. They definitely need it this year."

Maxine really hoped that Shannon was right. But knowing that her friends were making the same experiences somehow made her feel slightly better about the whole situation. She knew that being married to a wrestler wouldn't be easy, and up until now they had overcome every obstacle put in their way. She was sure things would get back to normal soon again.

 **…**

"Hey…you're back early," Karolina said with a smile, carefully folding one of Roman's shirts before stuffing it into their closet.

"Yeah, dad was a little tired today. We'll continue next week," Roman replied with a smile of his own, pecking Karo's lips sweetly. "How's Siaki doing?"

"His fever is going down, but he's still cranky," she replied with a sigh, turning around to watch her husband take off his clothes now. "Have you hurt yourself, baby?"

Karolina slowly made her way over to where Roman was standing, softly grabbing his biceps, checking out the red bruise that was forming on there.

"I swear to God, I will never ever let my dad have me help him with those damn roses again. I don't get why he wants them in his garden anyways," Roman mumbled in annoyance, a smile immediately gracing his lips when his wife kissed the bruise cautiously.

"Well, maybe he wants to be a good husband and give some to Patty once in a while," she winked at him, picking up his shirt and shorts. "Let me put them in the washer. It looks as if you rolled around in the flowerbed again."

Roman quickly followed her into the bathroom, stuffing his boxershorts into the washer as well, before turning around and turning on the shower, a yawn escaping his lips.

"My poor baby, I know you must be so tired. How about I join you in the shower and rub your back? And maybe something else too…," she whispered seductively, wrapping her arms around his naked body from behind, placing soft kisses up and down his spine.

"Babygirl…," he said in a low voice, taking both of her hands into his softly, turning around. "What if Siaki catches us?"

"He's fast asleep…" she replied with a mischievous smile on her face, her big blue eyes looking into his grey ones deeply. "I'm sure he won't disturb us this time."

Roman seemed to think for a few moments, before finally nodding his head, a smirk on his face.

"You know what? Be a good girl and go lock the bedroom door. Get out of your clothes and lay down on the bed. I'll have a quick shower, and when I come back to the bedroom, I wanna see your legs spread wide open for me. Daddy wants to have a taste of that sweet pussy of yours," he whispered into her ear, eagerly attacking her soft spot right underneath her ear. "It's all about you today, babygirl."

"But Roman…you don't have to. I can a…," she started but he immediately cut her off with a heated kiss, leaving her breathless.

"No buts. Do as you're told and don't argue with me," he said in a dominant voice, making Karo shiver in excitement. She loved when he talked to her like that.

She hurriedly made her way out of the bathroom that was adjacent to their bedroom, hastily locking the door. She couldn't wait for her husband to get out of the shower, his hair all wet, his body glistening from the water that just cascaded down his well-toned body minutes ago. She couldn't get enough of him.

It was merely a few minutes later that she finally spread her legs, hearing his footsteps coming closer and closer to the bedroom, her heart pounding fast in her chest. She knew he would spank her shouldn't she follow his instructions, and as much as she would enjoy his punishment, she wanted to be in his good books today.

"What a sight for sore eyes," he mused, licking his bottom lip in anticipation, winking at her when she blushed.

"Well, I can't help but only return the compliment, Mr Reigns," she panted, swallowing hard, her eyes following his every movement.

When he was standing opposite of her in front of the bed, he looked her over from head to toe, grinning to himself when he noticed her hard nipples. He wasn't sure if she played with them while he was in the shower, or if she was just excited of what was about to happen. But one thing was for sure: he enjoyed the view he was given in that very moment.

"Neatly shaved…I like it…," he said after kneeling down on the bed in between her legs, one of his long smooth fingers running up and down her slit. "Hmm…you're already wet for me, babygirl."

Karo wasn't even able to say anything. She couldn't form a coherent sentence, it just wasn't possible. So she just nodded, making him chuckle deeply.

In silence she watched him bend down slowly, his eyes fixed on hers, his finger still teasing her wet entrance playfully. The sexual tension in the room was thick. It was exciting.

Goosebumps covered her whole body when he took a deep breath as soon as his head disappeared in between her legs, as if he was inhaling her scent deeply.

"Mmm, I wonder if you taste as good as you smell," he mumbled to himself, grabbing both of her calves to spread her legs even wider, her ass now in the air slightly. "I guess it's time for a little snack, don't you think'?"

He didn't expect her to answer. He wasn't even directing his question at anyone. Because just a few seconds later, his mouth was on her.

He immediately sucked her clit in between his lips, sending her a warning with his eyes when she moaned out loud. He wanted to make his woman enjoy this, he wanted to make her cum. They wouldn't be able to make it that far if she waked their son with her cries of pleasure.

"God…Roman…fuck…," she whispered almost inaudibly when his tongue licked its way from her slit up to her swollen nub, over and over again, agonizingly slow. He just loved teasing her.

The way he slurped up her juices as if it was water that would still his thirst and the way he let her clit go with a wet pop, the smacking noises the friction of his fingers pumping into her pussy made…it was almost too much for her to handle. It was pleasure and torture all at the same time.

"Don't you dare say a word, Karolina," he once again warned her, now furiously licking her wet folds. "I want you to cum now, you hear me? You're gonna cum all over my tongue and I don't want you to make a damn noise."

Karo swallowed hard, closing her eyes tightly to process his words. He wasn't playing fair when he let go of her legs completely, spreading her pussy lips with his fingers, only to suck her sensitive nub into his mouth, letting his tongue swirl around it frantically.

Suddenly her whole body tensed up, her hand gripping his hair tightly. She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming, her chest rising up and down rapidly, and the very moment her juices flowed into his mouth, her clit throbbing frantically, was the moment he knew he made his wife cum.

He immediately let go of her, knowing that she was extremely sensitive after experiencing an orgasm, and he definitely didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

"Hmm, now I can't wait for dinner," he moaned, kissing her inner thighs softly before looking up at her with that sexy half smirk that he knew would make her wet all over again.

 ** _A/N: Well, here we go with the first chapter...with some smut at the end lol I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think :)_**


	2. Everyday life

**_HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :)_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _I_** ** _would like to thank ShannonTheAwesomeOne, Micah, fenner82, Beastielife, Kalea N Reigns, Lucy1029, CheekyClaudine, reignsbabee, Lilygirl95, Ctinaisfashion, WickedRedRose22, Shannon5288, Insane Cali Gurl, Adel, benova13_** ** _and the guests for reviewing the first chapter._**

 _ **I'm totally blown away by the way you all accepted yet another sequel to the 'Justice series' but I honestly couldn't be happier.**_

 _ **A huge thanks to all the people who continued messaging me when I wasn't writing. Who encouraged me to keep going, who said they missed me and my work. Thanks to all the people that freaked out in front of their computers when they received an email notification that I uploaded a new story – and for letting me know about HOW they freaked out. You guys are the greatest. I really love you all.**_

 _ **More thanks to other special persons in the coming chapters. I'm sure you all want to read the new chapter now ;-) Enjoy…and maybe review? :P**_

...

 **Chapter 2: Everyday life**

It was about three hours later that Shannon finally returned home from the gym, having picked up Dylan from kindergarten already.

Seth had picked up Joan and Hayley in the meantime as well, thanking Dean for watching them by pushing a six-pack of Budweiser into his hands, quickly leaving his place again. His two-toned friend had probably noticed that he was beyond annoyed and mad at him for having disturbed his free afternoon.

"Daddy daddy daddy," Dylan yelled excitedly the moment he spotted his father, jumping into his arms, Dean catching him just in time.

"Hey partner. How was kindergarten?" he asked his son, not wanting the little boy to feel his anger. It wasn't his fault that his daddy was having a bad day.

"It was cool. We have a new slide on the playground. It's huuuuge," he told his father with a big smile on his face, the smile now turning into a full-blown smirk. "Oh, and Leni wasn't allowed to go play with us. She gave Michael a spear because he said that Uncle Roman sucked."

"Ohh, that's not cool. You know it's not okay to hurt somebody because they say mean things, right?" Dean asked Dylan, seeing his spitting image nod his head in understanding. Who would have thought that Dean would be a model father one day?

"Yes. Ignorance hurts the most," the blonde-haired boy replied, always remembering his father's words. "I'm going to my room. I want to try out my new action figure."

Dylan was a huge 'Transformers' fan, collecting their action figures he would always beg his parents to buy for him. As long as he was being a good boy, they would give in and reward him for his behaviour.

"As much as I love that little girl, she's a spoiled brat," Dean said towards Shannon, watching his son go upstairs to play with his toys.

"You would not talk like that if this had been Dylan. Yes, Leni might be a little spoiled, but she's having a hard time letting Roman go at the moment," Shannon simply retorted, defending the little girl. "How was your day, baby?"

"Not as good as yours, it seems," he spat, turning around to go back into the living room, plopping down onto the couch.

"Gosh, what's bitten you this time?" she asked annoyed, following him quickly. She rolled her eyes when he started playing with his phone as if she wasn't there with him.

"For once I fucking wanted to relax a little. I wanted to lay back and enjoy some peace and quiet. But Seth fucking Rollins wasn't having any of that, no, he had to bring the girls over so that I could watch them…for whatever reason," he scoffed, still typing on his phone, not even glancing at his wife once.

However, he looked up at her with wide eyes when she snapped the phone away from him.

"What the fuck?" he grumped, trying to get his phone back.

"Look at me when you're talking to me, you fool," she barked at him, pushing his phone into her shorts. "Is it my fucking fault that Seth asked you to be a babysitter? No it's not. So stop being a bitch about it. I'm so sick of you acting like that. Get yourself together, Ambrose."

She really had no idea what was wrong with him. He had been extremely thin-skinned for quite a while now. She knew he was exhausted. He was stressed out by being on the road so much. And when he wasn't wrestling, he was doing media. An interview here, a photoshoot there. It was a crazy schedule. But that was what he had signed up for when they made him the World Heavyweight Champion.

"Why the fuck do you have to go to the damn gym whenever I'm home? You have nothing else to do when I'm on the road anyways. Why can't you go when I'm gone? You could have watched the kids today…you could have…," he accused her, not having finished yet but she was having none of it.

"SHUT UP," she yelled, losing her patience with him now. He was not being fair. "Where the fuck is this coming from? What the fuck is wrong with you, Dean? Look, I understand that you need a break. I really do. But the world keeps turning, you know? It's not all about you. I need you, Dylan needs you…hell…even your friends do. We don't expect a lot from you. We just want you to be around. We want to spend time with you. But you're being selfish."

Dean probably knew that she was right. He knew that he wasn't the only person in the world that was stressed out by their job. He loved spending time with his family and friends. And he also knew that currently every tiny thing drove him nuts. He had to stop blaming others for his moods.

But he was mad now. He was annoyed with himself, by always fighting with Shannon. He needed some space, he needed to clear his head.

He stood up abruptly, making his way over to her and fishing his phone out of her shorts, before eventually passing her without saying another word.

"Where do you think you're going?" Shannon yelled after him, watching him grab his wallet and keys, now on his way to the front door.

"I need to get the fuck outta here…," was all Dean said before slamming the door shut, leaving an angry Shannon behind.

She was so sick of his behaviour. So damn sick of it.

But what she hated the most was the fact that he always ran away…

 **…**

"Fuck yes...you feel so fucking good, baby…," he groaned, slapping her ass hard, a grin gracing his facial features when he heard her moan in ecstasy.

He was pounding into her furiously from behind. It was his favorite position when he was with her. It somehow salved his conscience not being able to look at her face while he was fucking her. It was pathetic, he knew it. But seeing the look in her eyes, the way they were full of love for him, made him feel even worse. She didn't deserve to be used by him. He also didn't want to be reminded that it wasn't his wife he was having sex with.

"God…right there…don't stop…please…don't stop," she panted, meeting his thrusts by pushing back against him, her hands grabbing the pillow in front of her tightly.

"Are you cumming for me? Are you gonna cum all over my dick?" he asked through gritted teeth, once again slapping her ass. "Answer me!"

"Yes…fuck yes…I'm cumming," she screamed, his words spurring her on so that she was finally able to let go, her orgasm washing over her in waves, making her whole body shiver.

Watching her fall apart underneath him was all he needed to reach his own peak. In the heat of the moment he pulled out of her, quickly disposing of the condom he was wearing and throwing it away aimlessly. He stroked himself rapidly, his breathing shallow, his eyes closed tightly, until he finally came, spurt after spurt of his cum landing on her ass and back.

He stayed on his knees for a few more moments, trying to come down from his high and regulate his breathing. He was exhausted. Mentally and physically.

And he knew that the moment he would open his eyes again, seeing the mess he had created, would be the moment that he realized that he had fucked up once again. Big time.

Yes, he had done it again. He had used Cassandra. He had cheated on his wife. He had betrayed them all.

He was an asshole. A sorry excuse of a man. It was as simple as that.

 **…**

"Roman, could you please check if Leni is actually doing her homework this time?" Karolina yelled from the kitchen, preparing dinner while Siaki was sitting at the table, colouring in one of his colouring books.

"Will do," Roman yelled back, only reluctantly getting off of the couch as he was currently watching a football match on TV, but he knew that Karo would not take no for an answer, so he did as he was told.

Leni had just turned 6 years old a few months ago, her and Dylan now in kindergarten, and it was needless to say she had a hard time concentrating and obeying her teachers since she was so used to acting like a princess at home. She would always be daddy's little girl after all.

Roman knocked on the door when he reached her room, waiting for his daughter's approval to step in, a smile on his face when her tiny little voice did just that.

He sighed when he saw that she was brushing her Barbie doll's hair, singing along a song that was playing on her CD player.

"Hey daddy," she beamed at him, batting her eyelashes at him like she always did when he was around. She knew very well that she wasn't supposed to play with her dolls now.

"Don't gimme that look, sweetie. We both know you need to get your homework done," he said firmly, trying his best not to become weak again. She was just too precious with her big blue eyes just like her mother's.

"But daddy…," she started to say in a sweet voice, but he was having none of it this time.

"No buts, Leni. I'm sick of always telling you twice. When your mother tells you to do your homework, you listen to her. Have I made myself clear?" he asked sternly, hating to talk to her like that but knew he could only blame himself for her behaviour.

Both Karo and he had spoiled her too much in the past. After losing Joshua, they were so happy to have her in their lives that they let her do whatever she wanted to. That was a big mistake. And now they had to deal with the consequences.

"Ugh, I hate you," she grumbled, not even glancing at him when she threw her doll across the room, almost hitting him with it.

"And we both know that's not true," he said unimpressed, trying his best not to let her words get to him, knowing that she only said them because she was annoyed about having to do her homework.

He picked up the Barbie and made his way over to where she was sitting at her desk, kneeling down beside her.

"Go away," she huffed, her long black hair framing her face now so that she was able to hide her eyes behind them.

"Daddy just wants to help you, princess," he said softly, knowing that he was making a big mistake by caving in once again.

"Roman," a soft voice said all of a sudden, making him turn around to see his wife standing in the doorway, Siaki on her right hip. "She needs to do it by herself, baby."

Roman sighed, running a hand over his tired face. He knew she was right. He just hated when his daughter was giving him the cold shoulder.

Without saying another word, he straightened up again before making his way over to where Karo and Siaki were standing. He picked up his son, softly kissing his still chubby cheeks before planting a kiss on his wife's forehead.

"I'm sorry, babygirl. I just can't help it sometimes," he apologized to her, glancing over to see that Leni seemed to listen now, a smile on his face when he noticed that she was counting with her little fingers, clearly doing her math homework right now.

"Hey, shall we show daddy what you did in nursery school today, munchkin?" Karo asked Siaki, bringing Roman back to reality, his smile widening now that he saw how his son nodded his head excitedly.

Siaki was a good boy, at 3 years old was very smart, just like his sister had been when she was that old.

"I made a picture of us. Of mommy, Leni, and you…and me of course," he said with a giggle, his grey eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Ohhh you really did? You gotta show me, son. I'm sure it looks amazing. Come on, let's go," Roman replied with a grin, softly closing the door behind them so that Leni could concentrate on the task at hand, not wanting to distract her any further.

He had learned that becoming a father was way easier than being one. It was exhausting and unnerving, but he loved it nonetheless. His wife and two kids were his everything. And he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

 **…**

Being in his arms was the most wonderful thing in the whole world. It made her happy. HE made her happy.

She didn't know why or how she deserved it, but as soon as the twins were fast asleep, Seth surprised her with a hot, relaxing bath. Several lit candles were illuminating the bathroom, the soft music playing in the background giving it all a romantic atmosphere. The chocolate strawberries were the icing on the cake. She really loved this man.

"That's so relaxing, baby. Thank you so much for this," Maxine said, taking a sip of her champagne.

"You're welcome, angel. I just thought we needed a little time to ourselves," he replied, kissing her temple softly. "I know that I've been quite busy recently and I just wanted us to have some quality time."

Seth normally was very hyper and fired up. It was unusual and even strange to see him so well-balanced and calm, but she liked that side of him as well.

"I appreciate it, I really do," she said in a whisper, loving how he had his strong arms wrapped around her body from behind. "I was really starting to get worried about us."

She felt how Seth tensed up, unsure if she said something wrong to make him feel this uneasy.

"Why?" he simply asked, not liking her train of thought. Not at all.

He heard her sigh heavily, letting go of her when she turned around to sit in his lap. She didn't care that water was splashing everywhere. She would clean the mess up later. It was about time that she was honest with him. It was now or never.

"I don't know. It's just…you know…you're working a lot, the kids are very needy at the moment. I just feel that Maxine and Seth are suffering, as a couple. I don't want this to happen. You're gone so much, more than usual. And I understand, I really do. I get that you need to work out a lot as well. I just…I was hoping we could spend more time together from now. Just you and me. Maybe a date night or something like that," she explained, looking deep into his beautiful brown eyes.

He immediately looked down, avoiding eye contact. He felt like a piece of shit now. He didn't want her to feel like this. He had always promised to be a good husband, a good father to their kids. He was just so occupied with himself at the moment that he lost touch to everything else around him.

"I love you, Maxine. With all my heart. No matter what happens. I know things have been hectic, I should make more time for you and the girls. I promise to be a better man, you have to believe me. It's just that…," he thought hard about what he wanted to say next. He didn't want to hurt her.

"It's just that the dullness of everyday life has taken over?" she finished his sentence, consciously making it sound like a question.

Now it was Seth's turn to sigh heavily. He didn't want this to happen. He didn't want her, or even him, to feel this way. But it was just that. It was a daily routine.

It wasn't as if he was bored with her. He really loved her. He loved Joan and Hayley. He loved his job, his friends, his life. But with them all having family now, kids that now were their own characters, it was difficult to be as carefree as they were without so much responsibility.

Maybe it was wrong to be gone so much. Even when he was back from the road, he wasn't home as much as he probably could and should. And he would have to change that.

"Let's make it exciting again, angel. Let's…let us do something special when I'm home. Even if it's just a day at the zoo. Maybe we can talk to Roman, Karo, Dean and Shannon, have each other watch the kids while one of us couples is out for some alone time. I'm sure the others would like the idea," he suggested, not sure if her smile was genuine as she looked teary-eyed at the same time.

"I don't want to lose you, Seth," she mumbled, cupping his face with both of her hands.

"You won't, Maxi. Don't cry. Please…don't cry," he pleaded with her, wiping away the tears that were now streaming down her face with his thumbs. "You will never ever lose me, you hear me?"

He smiled at her weakly when she nodded her head, letting him know that she had heard him loud and clear. He hated to see her cry. He wanted to see her smile, to hear her laugh…that's what he loved about her the most.

"I had to take a piss underneath the ring yesterday," he confessed to her, her laughter warming his heart. He always knew how to cheer her up again.

"You did?" she chuckled, still sniffling but the tears had finally stopped falling.

"Dean's promo lasted longer than expected. I was supposed to attack him out of nowhere, but that dumbass just kept talking and talking. So I took a water bottle and went on with my business," he explained, shrugging his shoulders innocently. "It's kinda embarrassing though."

Maxine couldn't help but laugh out loud, the image of Seth's panicked face while peeing into the bottle underneath the ring during a live show not leaving her mind. Her husband was the most adorable man in the world.

And she was sure that things would get back to normal soon. Maybe talking openly about their feelings was the first step into the right direction. They loved each other, unconditionally. It was the most important thing for her. Things would definitely fall back into place again. She just knew it.

 **…**

 _*I miss you so much. I can't stop thinking about you.*_

The text message didn't say a lot, but it said enough to ruin a marriage and destroy a family.

He looked at his cell phone in bewilderment and annoyance. He couldn't remember how many times he had told her not to text him whenever he was home. The chance that his wife would see one of her messages was too high. It was a different story when he was on the road. He had a room to himself then, was even able to call her if he felt like it. But he had given her rules to follow. And she was disobeying.

The day she would tell him that she loved him would be the day he would end it all. They weren't supposed to have feelings for each other. It wasn't part of the deal. And he knew he didn't love her. And she knew that too. Why did she keep pushing then?

"You okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost," his wife asked him, startling him by her sudden appearance so that he almost let his phone fall.

He swallowed hard, trying not to blush or get nervous in front of her. He had to remain calm. He couldn't let her become suspicious.

"Yeah…sure…just one of the boys texting," he said with a fake smile before quickly deleting the evidence from his phone. "I'll reply tomorrow. It's late. Let's go to bed."

He smiled at her once again and pecked her lips sweetly, waiting for her to disappear into the bathroom where she would get ready for bed.

 _That was close_ , he thought to himself.

Maybe he shouldn't wait any longer. He shouldn't let it get so far that she would tell him she loved him. He almost got caught.

He didn't want to hurt Cassie. And he didn't want to hurt his wife. He knew he would do both anyways. One of them would definitely get her heart broken. But he would make things worse if he kept going like this.

He didn't even know why he was doing it. Didn't know why he was cheating on his wife. Why he was sleeping with another woman. There simply was no explanation. Yes, life wasn't easy. He had responsibilities. But in general he was happy. He just thought that he needed a little change once in a while.

It was selfish, he knew it. And each and every time he left his home to have sex with somebody else, he felt like the biggest shit on earth. Why couldn't he just stop? Why didn't he have the strength to tell Cassandra that they needed to stop seeing each other? That he wanted to stay with his wife, his family? Maybe it was some kind of addiction. It was like playing with fire. It was excitement.

But he knew that this game would definitely get him into hot water one day.

It was crystal clear to him then: He needed to end this. _Now._


	3. Another fight on the agenda

_**I would like to thank Lilygirl95, Micah, reignsbabee, insky5967, kimberly316, Kalea N Reigns, Shannon5288, CheekyClaudine, Beastielife, Ctinaisfashion, mitchy21, WickedRedRose22, Samantha, Miss. Lori MacManus, ShannonTheAwesomeOne, fenner82, Adel, Insane Cali Gurl, Solosunni and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter. Also thanks to all the ones messaging me privately. It really means a lot to me.**_

 _ **I also would like to take the time to thank the amazing PezzieCoyote for being the best beta-reader a writer could ask for. Thank you so much for your constant support, hun.**_

 _ **Now onto the next chapter :) Enjoy & review!**_

 **...**

 **Chapter 3: Another fight on the agenda**

It once again had been a hard and stressful week for Roman and he was more than happy to finally be back home again. His body was literally screaming for some rest, but the Christmas holidays were still a few weeks away. It was simple: he was exhausted – physically and mentally. And he had no idea how much longer he could pull through.

"Hi baby," he heard his wife say the very moment he entered the kitchen, a smile on her face.

"Hey babygirl," he replied, leaving his suitcase at the doorway, quickly making his way over to her. "God, it feels so good to be back home."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. He inhaled her scent deeply, loving the smell of vanilla and raspberry of the shampoo she always used. She had already used it back in the day when they started dating for the first time. He would never get enough of it. Of her.

"Tough week?" Karolina mumbled into his chest, sighing when she felt just how tense he was. Her poor man definitely was in for a massage later that night.

"You could say so," he answered curtly, slowly letting go of her. "But I don't wanna talk about work now. I just wanna relax. I'm tired as fuck."

He made his way over to the refrigerator, grabbing one of the many water bottles before slowly turning around again. The look on his wife's face said it all. Something was definitely wrong. And it turned his stomach into knots.

"What's wrong, babe?" he asked nervously, swallowing hard. He hated when she looked at him like that.

Karo opened her mouth only to close it again a second later. She didn't even know how to bring this up right now, seeing as he was so exhausted and tired. She knew this would more than likely mess up the rest of their day. She was just glad that both Leni and Siaki were in kindergarten and the nursery school respectively. She wouldn't want them to be around when she clearly knew they were about to fight – again.

"Spill the fucking beans. I'm in no mood for guessing games, Karolina," he spat when she didn't answer, already regretting his outburst when she looked at him with her big blue eyes reflecting worry and insecurity.

"It's about Leni…," she started, taking a deep breath when she heard her husband groan in annoyance.

"What did she do this time?" he asked, taking a huge sip of his water, trying to calm himself down before he would lose it completely in front of his wife.

"The kindergarten teacher wants to see us and sa…," she began but Roman didn't even let her finish her sentence, having heard enough already.

"AGAIN?" he almost yelled, throwing his now empty water bottle into the trashcan with full force, startling her. "Again? Really? What the fuck did she do now? Did she spear that Michael boy again? Did she pull Sandra's hair? What is it now? Hey, maybe she even slapped her teacher across the face? Why the fuck not?"

He turned around without giving her a chance to answer, exiting the kitchen before he would start throwing stuff against the walls in rage. He was beyond mad. All he wanted was to have some peace for once. To come back home and relax. But each and every time he came home, something else came up. Either Siaki was sick or Leni was being a spoiled brat.

He moved at a swift pace, rolling his eyes when he realized that she was following him. She should know better than to bother him when he went into 'his' room. It was a place he went to when he needed a few hours to himself. It was nothing special. Just a small room with a TV, various DVDs, a PlayStation and a few other things that would help him to get away from the chaotic world he lived in.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Roman?" she snapped, not letting him get away with his bitchy behaviour. This situation stressed her out as much as it did him. He had no right to treat her like that. "Do you think I'm happy about this? I try to…"

"Apparently it doesn't bother you enough that you would feel the need to do something about this," he scoffed, plopping down onto the couch before firing up his PlayStation 4.

She watched him as he leaned over to open the mini fridge that was right next to the couch, not surprised at all when he fetched out a bottle of beer. She hated to see him drink whenever he was in that kind of mood. She didn't worry that he would somehow get addicted to the alcohol, but she didn't like it nonetheless.

"Excuse me?" she shrieked, not believing what she just heard.

"What the fuck are you even doing while I'm gone?" he asked, the tone in his voice malicious.

Karolina looked at him in shock. She was very understanding when it came to him being exhausted. She had been there, done that. All these years she had been supportive, always encouraging him whenever he felt like giving up. She was at home raising their kids while he was out on the road, making money to provide for their family. That was the way they wanted to live their life. And now he was questioning all of this? Where was this even coming from?

"I don't even know what the fuck you're talking about," she said quietly, almost in a whisper.

She was still standing in the doorway, noticing how his body language gave away that he didn't even want her to be there. She didn't want to push her luck. He would never hurt her physically. He never had, he never would. But she wanted to give him as much space while at the same time working things out.

"You don't know what I'm talking about?" he repeated her words, looking at her incredulously. "This is the third or fourth time that the kindergarten teacher asked us to show up. Leni kicks somebody here, Leni yells at someone there. Have you actually noticed that your daughter is a spoiled brat?"

Karo gasped when she heard Roman talk about their daughter like that. Of course it was an open secret that Leni was indeed spoiled. Dean more than once called them out on that, just to make fun of them. And both Roman and Karo knew this was the case as well. None of them had ever said it out loud though.

"MY daughter? She's my daughter now?" she demanded, trying her hardest not to let the tears she was trying so hard to suppress fall. She was too mad at him to break down crying in front of him. She didn't want him to pity her.

"I didn't raise her like that," he simply said, gulping down his beer as if it was water he needed to survive.

His eyes were fixed on the TV screen now, signalling her that he was done talking to her. He just wanted to get lost in a little 'Call of duty' action and forget about the world around him. But Karo was having none of it.

"What the fuck…?" he snapped when she turned off the TV, looking at her furiously. "Stop with this crap, Karolina."

"No, you stop it now," she yelled, eventually losing her patience. "You're acting like a selfish son of a bitch. Get yourself together, Ro."

"I'm done talking about this. I'm sick of this. I asked you what you're even doing while I'm on the road and you can't even give me a bloody answer," he roared, yanking the TV remote away from her. "Apparently you don't know how to raise the girl properly, so you take responsibility now."

"Are you fucking serious?" she asked, wondering if the man in front of her was the one she married many years ago. She didn't recognize him anymore.

Roman loved his daughter. He loved Leni with all his heart. But he knew that they had messed up everything by spoiling her these last couple of years. They needed to stop finding excuses for it either. Yes, she was their little miracle. After losing Joshua, she was heaven-sent for them. When she batted her eyelashes, asking for something she clearly shouldn't be getting, she got it. But she was 6 now. She was a young little girl. She needed to start listening, not only to her parents but her teachers as well. Losing Joshua shouldn't be an excuse anymore. They needed to man up and right all the wrongs they have done over the last few years. Blaming Karo for this was ridiculous. But it was the only way he could deal with this now.

"Do I look like I was kidding? You go see the teacher and carry the can for this. There is only so much I can do when I'm home. It's your business to take care of our children while I'm on the road. It seems you have a hard time doing this, or else Leni wouldn't be in so much trouble in kindergarten," he finished, not even realizing how unfair he was being towards his wife.

"I can't be…," she started, but he once again held up his hand, stopping her mid-sentence.

"Stop it. I've had enough of this. Just leave me the fuck alone for now or I'm losing my shit," he shouted, immediately turning his attention back to the TV screen, not wanting to see her anymore.

Karo looked at him in disbelief, not being able to fathom what just went down between them. They have fought many times before, just like married couples did once in a while. But never had he talked to her like that. He was disrespectful, unfair and simply acting like an asshole.

Yes, she definitely felt like crying now. But she had too much pride to do it in front of him. No, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Not here, not now. He was in the wrong this time and she wouldn't let him get away with it that easily.

If he was being stubborn, she could be as well…

…

She hated to see him go. She just hated it. But it was part of the deal. And as difficult as it was to accept it, it still hurt. A lot.

"Christmas is in a few weeks," Cassandra said, wrapping the bedsheet tightly around her body while he put on his shoes.

"Yeah…I know…," he simply said, knowing where she was going with this but he honestly didn't want to talk about it.

"So…," she started, not sure how to approach him now. She knew he was only there with her physically; mentally he was back home already.

"It's not gonna work, Cassie. I can only come by the week after being back from the road, but other than that, we need to stop seeing each other until we return back to normality. My wife wants me to be around. I can't just leave whenever I feel like it," he explained in a soft voice, not wanting to hurt her.

But who was he kidding? Not only did he hurt her but his wife and family as well. He was disgusted by himself.

"Yeah…thought so…I…uhm…I understand, it's ok," she stuttered, giving him a weak smile. It was a fake smile, so much was clear. This was the way she was always functioning whenever he was around.

"It's not okay and we both know it," he said in a whisper, cupping her face gently with one hand, looking deep into her dark brown eyes. "Cassie…I…I just can't lea…"

"Stop…please…I don't want you to say it. I get it, ok? You can't leave her. You don't want to leave her. You've told me countless times," she scoffed, a sad expression on her face now. "Why do you keep coming back? Why? Just give me one reason."

"Because…," he started after a moment of silence, but she wouldn't let him finish.

"Because I'm a good lay? Is that why?" she demanded, quickly putting on some clothes while he watched her incredulously, never having seen her like that before. "Tell me, are you still fucking her? Are you fucking both of us? At the same time?"

He didn't even know how to react, what to say. What was going on?

"Answer me!" she yelled, not even realizing that single tears were streaming down her face.

She had been trying to stay strong for way too long. She never wanted to cry in front of him, too afraid he would never come back to her. He didn't love her. He just wanted to have fun. The problem was: she loved him. Yes she did. She wanted him to be around. If that meant that she would only get sex, then it was fine with her. As long as he was there with her, her life was complete.

"Yes," he said meekly, not even being able to look into her eyes. "Yes, I'm still sleeping with her."

Nobody would ever understand how much it hurt for her to hear him say this. How much her heart was breaking now that she knew that she wasn't the only one he has having sex with.

Yes, she knew that he still loved his wife, his family. It was natural. You don't fall out of love with a person that easily. But she was hoping that eventually he would. That he would realize that she was the one he truly loved. But she wasn't dumb. She knew he had to have feelings for his wife or else he would not even touch her.

"You're disgusting," she spat, yanking her arm away from him when he touched her. She didn't want him to touch her. Not now.

"I know, Cassie. I know I am. And I'm sorry," he said, his words sincere and genuine. "But we've made a deal. I told you I had conditions. And you agreed. You said you were fine with them."

"I was…I really was. But now I'm not so sure anymore," she mumbled, now looking into his eyes again. "I…I…"

"Don't. Just don't. Please. If you want this thing to continue, then don't say it," he pleaded, exactly knowing where she was going with this.

It was the very moment he knew he had to stop this. He knew he should have done it a long time ago. He had no idea why he kept coming back. He cared for Cassandra. There was no denying it. But he didn't love her. And she definitely shouldn't love him.

She just looked at him as if she was seeing right through him, as if he were a ghost. She knew she should tell him to leave, to never come back. How many times did she want to go through this? How much more pain could she endure? But she didn't want to give up on him just yet. Although that was what she kept telling herself for weeks.

"Just call me whenever you can," she mumbled, turning around to look out the window, letting him know that she wanted him to go now.

Her life was a mess. Ever since he stepped foot into her life, her bedroom, everything was upside down. He was like an addiction. And she honestly didn't want to be cured.

…

Seth was about to pick up Joan and Hayley from their dancing class when somebody knocked on their front door repeatedly. He was sure it could only be Dean, knowing that the short-haired man had no patience at all. He was such a hothead.

"I'm coming, Ambrose. Calm the fuck down," he yelled with a smirk on his face, quickly making his way to the door.

But what he saw when he opened the door broke his heart into a million pieces. Karolina, his best friend, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

"Babe, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked, immediately wrapping his arms around her body, rocking her back and forth to calm her down. "Hey, talk to me. Are you ok? Are the kids ok? Where's Roman?"

He knew he was probably asking way too many questions, but he just wanted to know why she was crying so hard. She even had trouble breathing as the sobbing wouldn't quiet down. He was worried.

"Seth…what's going on? Why is she crying?" Maxine asked when she heard the commotion from where she was sitting in the living room, looking at her husband concerned.

"I'm not sure. She hasn't said a word yet. Could you please pick up the girls, angel?" he asked without even thinking too much about it, but the moment Maxine sent him a death glare, he knew he must have said something wrong. "What?"

"You promised to go to the zoo with them, Seth," she said through gritted teeth, not wanting Karo to hear any of this but she doubted she could her anything over her crying anyways.

"Maxine, my best friend needs me now," he whispered, with his head motioning towards Karolina who he still held in his arms. He didn't see the problem here.

"I can bring her over to Dean's. I'm sure Shannon can cheer her up," the auburn-haired woman said simply, almost making Seth livid.

He hugged Karolina tightly, whispering into her ear to go to the living room and that he would be there in a minute, not wanting her to be in the middle when he was having an argument with his wife. She probably had other concerns now.

"What the fuck is wrong with you now?" he seethed, looking at his wife in disbelief.

"Seth, your daughters were over the moon when you promised them to take them to the zoo today. Do you really want to disappoint them once again?" she asked, not even meaning to downplay Karo's situation as she seemed to be really heartbroken, but her daughters missed their daddy.

"Do you even realize that you sound like a real heartless bitch right now?" he snapped, not even wanting to have this argument with her. "My best friend clearly needs a shoulder to cry on now. She would have gone to Shannon or Dean's if she wanted to talk to them. But she's here. So, would you please…"

"If I'm a heartless bitch, then you're a heartless father. But you know what? Never mind, I'm going to pick up the girls. We'll discuss this later," she replied snippily, and without even giving him a chance to strike back, she turned around, grabbed the keys, and left the house.

She loved Karo like a sister. And she definitely didn't want to see her cry. But Joan and Hayley were missing Seth. And he had promised them so many times to go to the zoo with them, and never had he kept his promise. Her heart broke for her daughters. And that was why she reacted the way she did.

…

Shannon was glad that Dylan was finally asleep as the little boy had been kind of hyperactive today. Maybe it was because Dean was back home again. Her son was always on top of the world when his father returned back from the road. It was actually quite adorable.

"What are you changing for?" she heard a voice behind her, making her turn around in surprise.

What she then saw definitely was a sight for sore eyes. Dean. Naked. In all his glory. Water drops were trailing down his body, from his shoulders over his strong chest, his abs…

He was drying his messy hair with a towel, showing off his now enormous biceps. But she didn't really care for his biceps anymore when his dick came into her view. Hard as a rock. Exactly how she loved it the most.

"My eyes are up here, sweet cheeks," Dean said mockingly when she licked her lips, her eyes fixed on his cock, checking him out shamelessly.

"And my mouth would like to be down there," she replied nonchalantly, locking eyes with him now, her index finger pointing at his crotch.

"Put that shirt away then…and get rid of those panties," he ordered, throwing the towel away aimlessly.

He had impeccable timing when he came out of the shower a few minutes ago, stopping her just in time before she could change into her 'sleeping clothes'. Now all she had to do was get out of her panties and he finally would have her naked – just the way he loved his woman.

After Shannon did as she was told, she quickly made her way over to him. She was serious when she said she wanted her mouth on him, and as much as he loved her blowjobs, that wasn't what he wanted to do today. No, his wife deserved some loving tonight and that was what he would give her this time.

He placed his hands right under her ass cheeks, grabbing her taut flesh and thereby picking her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist, her arms around his neck. Goosebumps covered her whole body when she once again realized just how strong her man was.

But instead of throwing her onto the bed, he laid her down gently, covering her body with his immediately.

"Where is Dean Ambrose and what have you done to him?" she asked with a giggle, making him smile.

"I locked him up in the basement a few hours ago and I don't think he even realized it until now," he replied with a chuckle, winking at her.

He placed his lips onto hers softly, kissing her passionately, taking her breath away. Shannon had no idea why Dean was in such a romantic mood all of a sudden, but she wouldn't complain. She just wanted to enjoy this as long as it lasted.

Dean didn't even understand what made him do what he did next, but maybe it was time to grow up and be a man about something that he knew had been ridiculous all these years.

"Where do you hide your sex toys?" he asked in between kisses, the tip of his tongue now trailing along her jawline until he reached her ear, biting it gently.

He smiled to himself when she tensed up, knowing that this would definitely surprise her.

"What?" she almost yelped, not believing what she just heard.

"I know you have a few of them…so stop pretending," he chuckled, now looking deep into her eyes. "Go get them. I promise you that I won't destroy them or anything."

He released her by moving to the side, smirking when she looked at him as if he had two heads. He wasn't surprised to see that she had them locked in a drawer in their closet, definitely not wanting their son to find any of this. The little boy wouldn't even begin to understand.

"There you go," she said hesitantly, handing him a shoebox in which she was hiding her 'goodies'. She didn't feel good about this. No, not at all.

"Lay back down," he said when she was still on her knees on the bed, not wanting her to feel so tensed up.

He wasn't even taken aback by the amount of vibrators and dildos she had in there. He knew that she was helping herself while he was on the road. But there was something he had never seen before and it was needless to say that he was beyond curious.

"What's that?" he asked, picking up a little device out of silicone, portraying a butterfly.

"It's a clit stimulator," she explained, watching him curiously when he examined the appliance carefully.

She couldn't help but giggle when he yelped the moment he switched it on, not having expected such a strong vibration. Yes, he was clueless when it came to sex toys. He actually really hated that stuff.

"And that turns you on?" he asked in a deep, raspy voice, now looking at her expectantly.

All Shannon could do was to nod her head yes. And apparently that was all Dean needed to know as he took the box and set it down on the floor next to the bed, never letting go of the little butterfly.

"I want you to put it in place. I want to watch you do it…wanna see your face when it gives you pleasure," he said, now moving so that he was kneeling in front of her.

She wasn't even able to process what he just said when he spread her legs wide apart, kneeling in between them. He handed her the butterfly, motioning with his head for her to go ahead. He was serious about this and she couldn't even believe it.

She swallowed hard, licking her suddenly very dry lips nervously. She kept staring at him when she put the device on her clit, loving the look in his eyes when he watched her every move. He seemed to be fascinated by what this little device could do, what a huge effect it had on a woman.

Shannon couldn't help but moan, the butterfly sending vibrating sensations to her clit and throughout her body. Seeing Dean watch her made all of this even more exciting.

"Does this feel good, baby? Does it turn you on?" he asked her, his voice almost a whisper.

His hands were still holding her legs apart, his eyes moving from her eyes, over her hardened nipples back to her mound, over and over again. He couldn't believe he would ever say anything like that but he enjoyed watching his wife be in so much pleasure thanks to a sex toy.

"Yes…oh yes, baby…but I want you. I want to feel you deep inside of me," she moaned, biting her bottom lip when he started stroking himself. It was such a beautiful sight to see him touch himself.

Hearing her say this definitely gave him an ego boost, keeping up his male pride. He could live with her getting herself off with these things if she would still be craving his dick. That was all he needed to know.

Shannon expected him to turn off the butterfly, to take it away and throw it into a corner so that he could finally have his way with her, but when he bent down, covering her body with his, he made no attempt to do so. No, quite the contrary.

"Are you ready for me, sweet cheeks? Are you soaking wet for?" he demanded, pecking her lips quickly, positioning himself in between her legs, the tip of his cock already touching her wet entrance.

"Are you going to…" she started asking, but when he felt that she was indeed dripping wet, he just entered her in one swift move, filling her to the hilt.

The scream that escaped her lips was music to his ears. He could only imagine what it must feel like for her to have him inside of her while the butterfly device was doing its magic on her clit.

"God, you feel so fucking good," he groaned when he started moving, his hands now grabbing hers, placing them just above her head.

He intertwined their fingers, pushing himself up so that he was now bending above her on his knees, his hips moving back and forth in a steady rhythm. He loved the look on her face. He just loved it. It was as if she was in paradise, as if she was lost in the sensations she was feeling.

They had no idea for how long they had been in that position as they lost all sense in time. But the beads of sweat that dropped from his forehead onto her body gave away that they must have gotten lost in their passionate lovemaking quite some time ago.

"I can't hold back any longer…I've been fighting it for too long now…let me cum, Dean…please let me cum," Shannon panted, looking deep into his eyes.

She had no idea how she was able to hold on for so long with the double stimulation torturing her body but she simply didn't want this to end. It wasn't possible to ignore the impending orgasm anymore though. She wanted to cum with him.

"Then let go….let go, baby. Cum with me," he groaned while speeding up, his thrusts long and hard now.

The smacking sounds of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the bedroom, combined with their moans and shallow breath.

"I love you, Shannon. I fucking love you," Dean choked out, just a few moments before he roared out loud, finally climbing up that mountain, emptying himself deep inside of her, spurt after spurt of his cum mixing with her juices.

Shannon couldn't even reply, the orgasm she was experiencing unlike anything else she had ever experienced. She arched her back, biting her lip so hard it almost started bleeding or else she would have screamed so loud she would have woken up whole Pensacola. It was like fireworks were lit up deep inside of her.

"Oh my fucking God…," she panted, relieved when Dean finally let go of her hands so that she could quickly turn off the butterfly. Her clit was extremely sensitive now. "That was amazing. I just…wow…I can't believe you let me use a sex toy. That will definitely be a red-letter day for me."

Dean couldn't help but chuckle, kissing her lips sweetly before slipping out of her slowly. If he could he would stay inside of her forever, but during their lovemaking session his phone went off several times and he knew he immediately needed to check his messages.

"Where are you going?" Shannon asked when he took a pair of boxer shorts out of the closet, still trying to come down from the high that was her orgasm.

"Getting some water. You want some as well?" he asked, grabbing his cell phone from the nightstand, trying to ignore the weird looks she was giving him.

"Yeah...sure…why not?" she replied, accepting the kiss he was giving her. "Hurry up. If you for once make love to me, I'm in for a little cuddle session as well."

He winked at her with a smile on his face before shuffling out of the bedroom, leaving a confused Shannon behind.

She had no idea what just happened right there. Lovemaking? Sex toys? She wanted to feel happy about his 'change of heart'– even if it was just for this once.

But she couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling that she had when she asked herself why he needed his cell phone to go downstairs to get them some water.

She tried to ignore it as much as she could. Because maybe…just maybe…she was overthinking it.


	4. Responsibilities are no fun

_I would like to thank Ctinaisfashion, StoryLover82, Shannon5288, Insane Cali Gurl, mitchy21, reignsbabee, Micah, Solosunni, benova13, shamonticupcake, Adel, Kalea N Reigns and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter._

 _Thanks to all of you for sending me PMs, begging me to tell them who the cheater is. I love to see how invested you all are when it comes to this story. I hope you understand that I can't tell you who of our lovely boys is the cheating one. Just have patience, my friends. We will find out soon :)_

 _Now enjoy and review…please :)_

 **...**

 **Chapter 4: Responsibilities are no fun**

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, babe," Seth said encouragingly, running a hand up and down Karolina's back soothingly.

"It still hurts though," she replied sadly before once again blowing her nose. "What he said was uncalled for. I know I might not be the best mother there is, but I'm trying. He makes it look as if it's all my fault."

"Roman has a lot on his plate right now. I know this shouldn't be an excuse for how he's treating you, but try to be a little more understanding…" he started, but she cut him off immediately.

"You want me to try being understanding? Seth, I've been nothing but that. I kiss the fucking ground he's walking on. What else do you expect me to do?" she scoffed, running a shaky hand through her long hair.

She looked at her best friend surprised when he sighed heavily, the way he refused to look into her eyes perplexing her. It was as if he knew something she didn't. And that both worried and angered her at the same time as normally Seth was the only one always being 100% honest with her - no matter what.

"What is it, Seth?" she asked anxiously. "Is there anything you wanna tell me?"

He once again sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a brief moment before letting his hand run over his tired face. He hated not being able to keep things from her. He was too damn conscientious and honest. And although he had promised Roman not to say a word to anyone, he couldn't deny his best friend anything. Not when she looked at him so sadly with her big blue eyes reflecting worry and concern.

"Vince McMahon himself has given Ro an ultimatum," he started, licking his suddenly very dry lips nervously. "Either he improves in the ring ASAP or he's out of the main event picture…just like that."

To prove his point, Seth snapped his fingers in front of her face.

Karo didn't even understand why Vince would do anything like that. Why he would give his so-called 'golden boy' such a warning?

Yes, Roman might have lacked a little in his performances. His body was hurting, he was exhausted. But she was sure her husband was always giving his very best when he was wrestling.

"Karo, listen, Antonio and Bray have suffered an injury while being in the ring with him. We're all tired…we're all at the end of our ropes. But he can't just slack off in the house shows," he explained when she remained silent, knowing that this was a lot to take in all at once. "I'm sure he'll get his act together again. Especially now that the Christmas break is just around the corner."

She just nodded her head, taking a deep breath. She was disappointed that her own husband wouldn't even talk to her about something like that. Weren't they supposed to always be honest with each other? No secrets, no lies? But maybe he was just embarrassed about it. Roman was a man with a lot of pride. He wanted to provide for this family, always wanting to be the best at what he was doing. He wouldn't want anyone to know that the big boss 'scolded' him.

"Maybe he just needs some space. I know coming home to all these family issues will not help him get back on track," she concluded, exhaling when Seth looked at her curiously. "I'm thinking about taking the kids and going to Germany until Christmas. I'm sure my family will be thrilled to see us again."

Seth shook his head in disbelief, not liking the idea at all. He hated that she always wanted to go back 'home' whenever there were difficult times. She needed to face their problems and stop running away from them.

"Babe, he needs you and his babies here with him. Yes, he's annoyed by the whole situation with Leni. And I can't even blame him. But you guys need to work it out. Together. Don't take the kids out of their daily routine. Leni needs to go to kindergarten. And Siaki is having a great time at nursery school with all these Christmas preparations. Pull yourself together, both of you," he advised, wrapping an arm around her, pulling her close.

He placed a soft kiss on her temple, whispering into her ear that everything would be fine again. He smiled to himself when he realized just how ridiculous it sounded for him to give advice on relationships when his own was more or less on a rocky path.

He had been fighting with Maxine a lot recently. Just now that Karo needed him, his wife once again freaked out on him. Maybe she was right. Maybe he should listen to her more often. But it was the way she treated him that angered him the most.

The beeping of Karo's cell phone interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. He would take care of his own relationship later. He needed to cheer up his best friend first. And he had the feeling he was on a good way.

He tried to look over her shoulder inconspicuously but knew he was failing when she glanced at him sideways, raising an eyebrow.

"Now come on…what does he say?" he acted all innocent, motioning with his head towards the phone she was holding in her hands.

And just like he assumed, it was Roman who had sent her a text message.

 _*I picked up Leni and Siaki. They're both taking a nap. Please come home. We need to talk about this.*_

No _'I love you'_. No _'I'm sorry'_. He didn't even put the inevitable ' _x_ ' at the end that always stood for a kiss. Yes, he was still mad at her. She could just feel it by the way he was texting.

Both Seth and Karo woke out of their trance when Joan and Hayley came running into the living room, both of them screaming and yelling for their daddy, jumping into his arms the moment they spotted him, almost knocking Karo over in the process. It really warmed her heart to see them like that, making her smile. These girls loved their daddy unconditionally and she felt guilty for taking some of their precious time with him away from them.

Her gaze now landed on Maxine who wordlessly made her way into the kitchen, not even glancing their way once. Seth seemed to be busy with his twin daughters, giving her the chance to escape unnoticed, following the auburn-haired woman quickly.

Karo couldn't help but be nervous about facing Maxine. She didn't even know why. The two women didn't even have a fight, but it was crystal clear that there was a thick tension in the room. For whatever reason.

"You ok?" Maxine surprisingly asked after turning around, handing her friend a bottle of water.

"Uhm…why would I not be?" Karo asked confused, nodding her head in order to thank her for the water. "Oh…you mean because of earlier? Yeah…well…Roman and I blew up on each other. It was a nasty fight."

Maxine just nodded her head, taking a sip of her own water before bending down to start unloading the dishwasher. She honestly wasn't in the mood to talk. She wasn't even mad at Karo. No, she was mad at Seth. For prioritizing the wrong way.

"I'm sorry that I came here unannounced. I didn't know where to go. I just needed to get out of there. Please don't blame Seth. He was just trying to be a friend," Karo pleaded, surprising Maxine with her words. The young woman had no idea that her friend had even noticed the tension between her and her husband over her crying earlier.

"I just wish he would try to be a father sometimes," Maxine scoffed, putting the plates back into the kitchen cabinet, not wanting to face Karo.

The German native swallowed hard. Seth had told her about the rough patch they were currently having. It was like a spreading disease as all three couples seemed to have a difficult time at that moment.

"But this is not his fault this time, Maxi. It's mine. He would have spent the day with the girls if it wasn't for me. I'm sincerely sorry," the blonde-haired woman apologized, stopping her friend from pacing back and forth by putting a hand on her shoulder.

Maxine exhaled softly, closing her eyes for a moment to gather herself. She was so sick of constantly being angry with her husband. He kept saying he was trying, but she simply thought he wasn't trying hard enough.

"This isn't about today, Karo. This is about all those weeks…months even," she started, turning slightly so that she could look into her friend's eyes. "He's gone all the time. Even if he's home, he's anywhere but here. I tell him about my concerns, he apologizes, changes for a week or two and then it starts all over again. I'm glad the girls don't even notice it just yet but he needs to take responsibility for once."

Karo really felt for her friend. She knew how difficult it was to be the wife of a wrestler. She was experiencing the same thing with Roman at the moment. As soon as he was back from the road, he was gone again. It was like their husbands didn't enjoy being home anymore. Shannon had also said something similar about Dean.

"I think they finally realize that having kids isn't always fun. They've always seen the bright side of it all when they're home for two or three days a week. But I guess the kids are growing up so fast that they are not only cute but trouble as well. I guess w…," Karolina stopped mid-sentence when someone behind her cleared their throat, knowing it could only be Seth.

The women both turned around, seeing the two-toned man looking like a lost puppy. It was hard to stay mad at him when he looked like that.

"Are you okay, angel?" he asked, directing his question at his wife. "I…uhm…I wanted to take the kids to the zoo now. If it's okay for you, of course."

Maxine turned her attention to Karo now, silently asking her if she was okay. Karo was touched by her friend's thoughtfulness, nodding her head with a smile to let her know that she indeed was. As far as this was possible considering she had to discuss the Leni situation with Roman again.

"Lemme go change clothes. Maybe we can go together," Maxine told Seth before hugging her friend tightly, kissing her cheek. "Go and talk to your man. You guys will be fine. Just like we will. Take your own advice, sweetheart."

Both Seth and Karo watched how Maxine left the kitchen, simultaneously sighing which made them chuckle.

"I think we all need to fight for our relationships, Seth. It's not always sunshine and roses. Not for you guys, not for Shannon and Dean and definitely not for Roman and I. Running away is not an option. That's what you just told me. Let the gym be the gym or wherever the hell you're always going and stay home with your family while you're here," she counselled, a weak smile on her face.

She slowly made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly and whispering in his ear. "I love you, Seth. Don't fuck this up, ok? She needs you. And so do your girls."

She kissed his cheek softly before taking a small step back, smiling at him when Joan and Hayley entered the kitchen, now hugging Karo's legs.

"Are you going to the zoo with us Auntie Karo?" they asked, giggling when they once again said the words at the same time.

"I would love to, but Uncle Roman is waiting for me at home. You go and have fun with mommy and daddy, ok?" she kissed both of them on the top of their heads, beaming down at the two beautiful girls.

She just hoped that _Uncle Roman_ was in a better mood now. She really didn't want to fight with him again. Especially now that the kids were home as well.

Being parents wasn't easy. No, not at all.

 **…**

It was just a couple of minutes later that Karo arrived at their house, immediately making her way into the living room where she knew her husband must be. Nobody else in this world would be able to watch the ESPN sports channel 24/7.

He looked up when he noticed she was back, to her surprise switching off the TV, silencing the room so that he could concentrate on her fully. It was an uncomfortable silence though.

"Where have you been?" he asked unemotionally, watching her sit down on the armchair diagonally opposite of him.

"At Seth's," she said curtly, cursing under her breath when her cell phone rang, quickly pushing the ignore button. She would call Shannon back later.

"Of course," he replied, not even meaning it in a defiant way. He had already known that she would go to Seth's house. He had always been her shoulder to cry on whenever they had a fight.

She was surprised to see him lean forward, but she was not fast enough to move out of the way when he tried to wipe something from her face with his thumbs. She actually didn't want to be touched by him right now.

"Your mascara is smudged," he simply said, knowing that it was his fault that she had been crying. It made his heart break for her.

Karo didn't say a word. What did he expect her to do now? Did he want her to freshen up so that she would look beautiful to him when he yelled at her again? He must have lost his mind.

"You wanted to talk?" she more stated than asked, not letting his closeness affect her.

Roman sighed heavily, leaning back on the couch again. He hated fighting with her. He really did. But he was also sick and tired of the drama that always awaited him whenever he came back home from being on the road. Something needed to change. And it needed to change now.

"I'm sorry for the way I talked to you. I was being unfair. I said some nasty things to you and that wasn't okay," he started, not at all surprised when she just looked at him expressionlessly. "But Karo, we need to do something about this."

"First of all we need to start talking. We need to remind ourselves to be honest with each other," she snapped, stopping herself immediately before she would give away that Seth told her about the Vince McMahon incident. "Roman, we need to work on this together. Yes, I'm here at home with her 24/7. But it seems she doesn't take me seriously. Not enough. We've spoiled her for way too long. She doesn't understand how all of a sudden there are rules she needs to follow. She's just a kid. This is our fault, not hers. We need to be stricter. But we definitely need to pull together. You can't say yes when I say no. Or the other way round."

Roman nodded his head in understanding. She was right. It wasn't his place to blame her for raising Leni wrong when it was him who always allowed her stuff that Karo tried to forbid her in the meantime.

"Fair enough. That's most definitely right. But as I already said, and I stick to that, you need to do something about this. I'm here for 2, maybe 3 days a week. I'm exhausted, Karolina. I'm not able to be the saving grace whenever I return. That's not how it's gonna work, ok? This makes me sick," he explained, groaning when she rolled her eyes at him. "Look, I understand you don't get it. It's just that…"

"Please. Don't. Just don't. Not another lecture about all the things I'm doing wrong. I'm not in the mood to fight with you again. You're tired. You should take a nap as well. Maybe…maybe we can go to the beach with the kids later. Just let us be a family once again," she more or less pleaded, not liking to see the conflict in his eyes. She was sure he wouldn't even want to spend any time with her right now. It broke her heart.

"I promised my dad to help him in the garden again," he said, his voice full of regret.

"Then let us join you. I'm sure Patty will be so happy to see the kids again," Karo suggested, waiting for him to answer but he seemed to be deep in thought.

"You know what? I'll call dad. I'm gonna tell him I'll come by tomorrow. Let's just…let's try to fix this. Let's spend the day as a family. I think we really need it," he offered, relieved when Karo nodded her head, although looking at him curiously.

Just a minute ago he was about to give her another speech about how to raise their children properly only to come around and wanting to spend the day with her and the kids. He desperately needed that Christmas break. It was inevitable now.

 **…**

Here he was again. Pumping into her mercilessly. Skin slapping skin. Moans and screams echoing throughout her bedroom. He was about to cum. He needed only a couple more thrusts and he would be there. He wasn't even able to wait for her this time although he normally made it his priority to make her cum as well. He owed her that much.

"Fuck…Cassie…God…I'm cumming…," he groaned out loud, grabbing her hips tightly while he emptied himself into the condom spurt by spurt, his eyes closed tightly.

His breath was shallow, his heart beating fast. He just wanted to enjoy this as long as it lasted. He knew that as soon as he would open his eyes again, he would be hit in the face by reality. And he hated that moment. Each and every time.

He really wanted to end it this time. He really did. His sole intention was to tell her that it was over when he went there that day. But as soon as she opened the zipper of his jeans, the moment she freed his dick from his boxer briefs and engulfed him with her mouth, all these intentions were shut down in an instant.

"I'm sorry, babe. I didn't meant to…," he started to apologize, but she just shook her head, smiling up at him.

"No worries. It happens. I enjoyed myself…that's the most important thing," she said, cupping his face with one hand.

Cassandra knew she had to be understanding now. She knew she was walking on thin ice. She could feel how hesitant he had been when he arrived at her place earlier. After the last time, things seemed to be a little rocky. It was as if he was thinking too much about their affair.

"Will you call me when you're back on the road?" she asked after a few moments, moving slowly so that he would slip out of her.

She knew he wanted to leave. He _needed_ to leave. His cell phone had already gone off a couple of times during their sexual encounter. So this time she would let him go and not fight it. Because maybe like this, she would be able to convince him to stay with her one day. For good.

 _Hope dies last_ , she thought.

 **…**

Shannon was pacing back and forth in her living room frantically. She was so angry that she even started pulling her own hair. Karo ignored her calls and all the others were not reachable. Her husband? Nowhere to be found.

That was what made her furious the most. She had tried calling him 20 times. When she wasn't able to reach him, she started calling their friends. Nobody picked up. Who in the hell did they think they were?

Dylan was up in his room playing with his Power Rangers action figures. He almost started crying when he couldn't find the one of his daddy, but Shannon really couldn't tell her son that she ripped his father's head off of the Mattel action figure. He would be too devastated.

It was moments later that she could hear the front door open, mentally preparing herself for giving him a piece of her mind. She could just hope that Dylan would not hear them yell at each other. The little boy was very sensitive when it came to his parents fighting with each other.

"Hey sweet cheeks. Sorry for being late but I w…" he started, but she was having none of it.

"WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?" she screamed angrily, folding her arms under her chest, looking at him expectantly.

"Shannon, what's wrong?" he asked dumbfounded, not understanding why she was so enraged.

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?" she asked in bewilderment, not believing he acted like that. As if nothing was wrong.

Dean looked at her intently, not letting her yelling get to him. He knew she could be quite short-tempered but he was having none of it this time.

"Lower your fucking voice," he said calmly, grinning to himself when she looked at him incredulously. He loved playing mind games with her. He knew she was thinking she was in the right to yell at him, so it surprised her that he was defending himself – one way or another.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I've been calling you a thousand times. You're not even picking up the damn phone. You've been gone for two hours without even telling me you would leave? Is there anything you need to tell me?" she demanded, growling when he looked around, as if he was searching for something.

"Where's Dylan?" he asked, ignoring her questions.

"Are you for real now?" she wondered, eventually losing it. She was so mad at him, it wasn't even funny.

"Is he upstairs? I'll have him watch a movie on the iPad. He's not supposed to hear you get spanked," he simply said, making his way over to the stairs slowly. But he stopped when he was right next to her. "You don't talk to me like that, you hear me? I had errands to run while you were busy writing that book of yours. So don't you fucking yell at me if I want to spend my time other than sitting next to you while you're staring at a blank piece of paper."

She looked at him perplexed, not having expected such a reaction. Was she once again overreacting? Was he right this time? But where the hell had he been these last two hours?

"I'll meet you in the bedroom in five minutes. You're going to kneel next to the bed, naked. Mentally prepare yourself for the spanking. You'll get 15 slaps this time. 10 don't seem enough today," he said dominantly, looking deep into her eyes, trying to see right through her.

He didn't even give her a chance to reply. He just left, making his way up to his son's room.

He knew he was playing with fire once again. It was a dangerous situation, each and every time. And he really had to be careful or else it would all be revealed. That couldn't happen. It _mustn't_ happen.

He had to make it up to her now. And as much as a spanking might sound like punishment to 'normal' people, both him and Shannon knew that this punishment could lead to something pleasurable. Something exciting.

Shannon and Dean were one of a kind. Both stubborn and hard-headed. Unique in their own way. He just hoped that she didn't lose trust in him. That would ruin it all.


	5. A shocking realization

_**I would like to thank reignsbabee, kimberly316, Shannon5288, StoryLover82, mitchy21, Kalea N Reigns, Micah, Insane Cali Gurl, WickedRedRose22, Solosunni, CFierce116, SPARKELS77, samantha, benova13, Adel and the guests for reviewing the last chapter. I'm always so incredibly happy to receive your feedback. It means the world to me.**_

 _ **I also would like to thank my amazing friend Dina/rrsexybeast for brainstorming with me throughout this journey that is called 'The mystery of justice'. She helped me to improve, provided me with ideas and advice. It's also because of her that this right here has become what it is today. Thank you so much, hun!**_

 _ **Now onto the next chapter. Enjoy & review :)**_

 **...**

 **Chapter 5: A shocking realization**

"Yaaaay…mommy, daddy…look, I did it...," little Leni yelled in excitement, holding up her mini golf club high in the air, very proud of herself.

"Good job, sweetheart…gimme a high five," Roman said, bending down slightly so that his daughter could reach his hand. "How about I show mommy how it's done?"

Roman was serious when he said he wanted to fix this. He wanted to spend the day with his family, enjoy being around them and just be carefree. They still needed to take care of the 'Leni problem' and they definitely would. Step by step. But they needed to remind themselves that this was also a difficult situation for their daughter. They had to give her time to adjust while at the same time being stricter with her. It was a process that needed several weeks or even months.

"Hey, what does that mean? I'm not the one who comes off worst," Karolina pouted, making her daughter giggle.

"It doesn't count that Siaki doesn't hole, babygirl. Besides, he's almost better than you are," Roman replied, chuckling when his wife acted as if she was about to start crying.

Siaki on the other hand didn't understand that his mother was only acting, running towards her quickly to hug her legs, squinching up his face in slow motion before finally starting to cry.

"Oh no…don't cry, Babyboy. Mommy is just being silly," Karo soothed, picking up her son and cradling his back, trying not to giggle about the hilarious situation. "It's all good. You don't need to worry, munchkin."

"Is mommy not sad?" Siaki said in between sobs, raising his head from Karo's shoulders to look into her face.

"No, I'm not sad. I was just making fun with daddy. Stop crying now, ok? It's your turn now, baby. Show me that you're better than daddy," she encouraged the little boy, wiping away his tears with her thumb.

As fast as Siaki had started to cry, just as fast was he back to smiling. Although he wasn't good at mini golfing, he enjoyed spending time with his parents and his big sister. And he was having a lot of fun trying to hit the little ball with this golf club. It wasn't important to him to hit the hole.

"Leni help me?" he asked his sister hopefully, smiling at her brightly when she nodded her head yes.

While Leni was a very spoiled young girl, she had always taken care of her little brother. When he was a baby, she was very jealous of him. She didn't understand why all of a sudden there was another child taking her spot when all these years she had been the only one. But the bigger he got, the more she felt responsible for him. It was adorable, to say the least.

"Isn't this just heart-warming, Roman?" Karo asked, watching in awe how her 'babies' helped each other.

Roman was standing next to Karo now, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close. He didn't even know what to say. He was overwhelmed by his feelings. It made him sad to realize how much he was missing when he was on the road. And even if he was home, he was too stressed out to see the beautiful things happening around him. Seeing his wife smile, seeing his children interact with each other. He felt so guilty for always trying to get away from the house when there were problems that needed to be solved. It wasn't fair to let Karo do the dirty work all the time.

"Yes…yes, it really is," he said, sighing heavily without even meaning to.

Karo turned to look at her husband, his sigh not going away unnoticed. Her heart broke for him when she saw just how exhausted he looked. His eyes…his normally so beautiful eyes, they had dark bags under them. Wrinkles were forming on his face. Not only because he was aging, but because he was tired.

"You need some rest, baby," she said quietly, almost in a whisper.

Roman looked at her surprised when she cupped his face with one hand, the way she looked at him concerned touching him. Just a few hours ago he had yelled at her without any reason, blaming her for all the things that went wrong, when he knew deep down that he was just as much at fault as she was.

"I'm fine," he lied, giving her a fake smile.

But Karo knew him too well. She had been with him for so many years already. They had gone through the worst time a couple could go through. They had survived it all: the 'Seth incident', losing their firstborn…There was only so much a person could take. But together, they could move mountains. That was what they always told themselves.

"You don't have to be strong for me, Roman," Karo retorted, quickly looking over to see that her kids were alright, before facing him again. "You know you can talk to me about anything. It doesn't matter what it is. Just be honest with me. Trust me."

Roman swallowed hard. She was right. She was so right. But as much as he wanted to talk to her openly, he couldn't. There were things he needed to settle on his own. He didn't want, no, he didn't _need_ to bother her with his concerns. He would get his act together again. He would work as hard as possible to get back to normality again. He wanted to have a happy family. He wanted to have a happy home. And he needed to work for that as much as Karolina.

"I know, babygirl. I really do. But I'll be fine, I promise. I just have to s…," he started to explain, but both Siaki and Leni interrupted their serious conversation they didn't even realize they were having on a mini golf court by yelling for Karo.

"Moooommy, it's your turn," they screamed, giggling when their parents jerked in surprise.

Roman smiled down at his wife, not wanting her to overthink everything. They were supposed to have fun. They wanted to spend the day as a family, cherishing the time they had with their children and for once forgetting about the problems of their everyday life.

"How about I help you this time, Mrs Reigns?" he asked her, a mischievous smirk on his face.

Karo raised an eyebrow at him, making him chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she asked, trying to act as arrogantly as possible, but Roman was having none of it.

"You remind me of Dwayne with that eyebrow thing…it's weird," he said, bursting out laughing when she once again pouted.

"I remind you of Dwayne? What? Are you serious?" she scoffed, looking to the left and right quickly to see that nobody was glancing their way. "I'm pretty sure that THIS does NOT remind you of your cousin though."

Roman almost yelped when she pushed down her top and bra for milliseconds, giving him a quick peek of her breasts.

That was why he fell in love with her. She was crazy, she was exciting. A woman that nobody could compare to. And nobody ever would. She hadn't shown him this side of her for a while, giving that their children had changed their lives. But he wouldn't mind if she would do something like this more often from now on.

"Karolina…," he almost purred, trying his hardest not to let this affect him too much. They were in public after all.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I just did that," she giggled, covering her mouth with her left hand, slightly blushing. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he spoke under his breath, looking at her in complete admiration. "Reminds me of that young woman I met all those years ago."

Karolina smiled at him, loving the way he was looking at her as if she was the only person that mattered to him in this world.

"MOMMY," Leni once again yelled, entirely ruining the moment her parents were having.

"Let's do this, mommy," Roman said with a grin, motioning with his head towards the next hole he knew she wouldn't 'conquer' on her own. "Let daddy help you."

He sent shivers up and down her spine when he whispered these words into her ear, letting his hand wander over her ass when he passed her, winking at her teasingly. She couldn't remember the last time there was so much sexual tension in the air between them.

Karolina took the golf club he was offering her, licking her suddenly very dry lips nervously when he stepped back to let her take the spot in front of him.

She sighed when he wrapped his arms around her from behind, making sure his crotch was pressed hard against her ass, letting her feel what kind of effect she had on him. He knew he was putting himself in a dangerous situation in front of his kids but he was sure they wouldn't pay too much attention to that anyways.

"You've gotta hold the golf club like that," he instructed, covering her hands with his to get the equipment in the right position. "Pay attention to the ball…stand up straight."

He proved his point by once again pressing himself against her tightly, smiling to himself when she tensed up.

"You can do this, mommy," little Siaki encouraged her, thankfully bringing her back to reality before she completely lost herself in the arms of her husband.

"Swing back a little…just like that…and go," he let go of her the moment she hit the ball, smiling to himself when she indeed hit the hole, making their kids jump up and down excitedly.

"Yay yay yay…good job, mom. That was great!" Leni shrieked, hugging Karo tightly. Siaki followed immediately, hugging her just as tight.

Roman watched the scene unfold in front of him, his heart leaping for joy. He loved his family so much. These were the moments he cherished the most. These were moments he would never forget.

Yes, he needed to get his act together again. He wanted it to always be like that. No matter what.

 **…**

Karolina just put Siaki to bed when her cell phone beeped. She looked over to see if the noise woke her little boy up but was relieved to see that he was still snoring quietly.

It was probably Seth asking if she was alright. She couldn't ask for a better friend than him. He would always make time for her and listen to her whine and bitch, even if she didn't have any reason to do so.

She was surprised to see that the text message came from her husband who was just a couple of rooms away. Why wouldn't he just come over?

 _*I'm waiting for you in the bedroom. Take off your clothes. I want you naked. And hurry up. Roman xx*_

Karolina took a deep breath, swallowing hard. She was beyond excited now. That text message sounded promising. And if she knew her husband well enough, she knew she was in for a rollercoaster ride.

She quickly made her way out of Siaki's room, closing the door behind her quietly so she wouldn't wake him. Leni was already fast asleep, the mini golfing having exhausted her to an extent that she almost fell asleep at the table during dinner time.

Before entering the bedroom, she took off her clothes – as requested. She didn't want to disobey. Although she definitely wasn't averse to a little punishment if it resulted in a spanking.

Once again taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the bedroom, not surprised to see it dimly lit, only candles brightening the room. She had to squint her eyes to see Roman sitting in an armchair in the far corner of the room, his legs spread wide apart, his cock long and hard. It was a sight for sore eyes.

"Come over here, babygirl," he said in a deep voice, motioning with his fingers for her to get closer. "And lock the door."

She nodded her head, quickly locking the door before making her way over to him, absentmindedly licking her bottom lip.

"Get down on your knees," he ordered, the expression on his face not readable. It was as if he was lost in a role he was playing. "I want you to suck me off, Karolina. Be a good girl and suck this dick. I promise you a great reward if you're doing a good job."

Her whole body shivered, covering it with goosebumps from head to toe. This was exciting and nerve-wrecking all at the same time. It was weird to see how she loved him to be so dominant with her, almost as if she was his own personal slut. Nobody could get away with it but him.

Karo didn't need to be told twice, lowering her head slowly to engulf him with her mouth, her tongue trailing the veins of his hardened member up and down, over and over again. The moan that escaped his lips was music to her ears. It made her chest swell with pride to see that she was still able to make him feel this way.

She was bold enough to let drops of saliva fall from her lips onto the head of his dick, mixing it with his precum. She looked deep into his eyes when she once again bent down, letting her tongue twirl around it to absorb the hot liquid.

"Fuck…girl…you're driving me insane," he mumbled, gripping her hair tightly now, pushing her back down onto him again. "Yes…just like that…take me as deep as you can."

He loved this. He really loved this. The way she would look at him so innocently while he was fucking her mouth, the way she would try as hard as possible to go round the gag reflex just to give him pleasure. He almost lost it when he hit the back of her throat, her nose almost touching the light patch of his pubic hair.

The gurgling noises she made, the way she was slurping and sucking…it almost brought him over the edge. But he didn't want to cum just yet.

It was her turn now. He wanted to pay her back, to give her what she deserved. And he had already planned to make love to her all night long. It was about damn time they finally took some time for each other again.

"Stop, babygirl…stop or I'm gonna cum," he panted, softly pulling at her hair to make her stop, wiping away a tear that escaped her eyes due to him being so deep inside of her, having cut off her oxygen supply for a second here and there.

"I wanted to swallow your cum…I wanted to taste you…each and every drop," she whispered to him, wiping off her mouth as if she had just had a meal.

Roman exhaled deeply, not believing she was talking to him like that. He was normally the one to do the dirty talk, always needing to urge her to be more open about it. She was surprising him today.

"Lay down on your back on the bed," he requested, ignoring what she just said. He couldn't let this get to him. He would cum right away.

Once again she did as she was told, her breath hitched in her throat when she heard the clinking of the handcuffs they had bought many years ago. They hadn't used them in a while and it made her feel all giddy all over again.

"I'm gonna handcuff you to the bed and blindfold you now, Karolina. I want you to relax. This is about you now. Do you trust me?" he asked, although it was a rhetorical question as he was sure that she would.

"I trust you," she said, nodding her head.

She watched him as he cuffed her to the headboard of the bed so that her arms were spread in a V shape above her head. Only seconds later everything around her turned black, her eyes now covered by a scarf he tightened at the back of her head, immediately sensitizing her remaining sensory organs.

"Enjoy the ride, babygirl," he said close to her ear, teasingly licking her earlobe, making her shiver once again.

She felt the bed shift slightly, giving away that he was moving to the right side, but staying close-by. Karo's heart was beating fast in her chest now, the anticipation at an all-time high. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. She was almost starting to lose patience.

A yelp escaped her when she felt an ice cube against her collarbone, making her tremble as her hot skin reacted to the ice-cold substance. She immediately wanted to move her hands when she realized she had no chance to move them at all. He had probably anticipated her reaction beforehand.

Roman replaced his fingers with his mouth, holding onto the ice cube with his lips, moving it along her collarbone down to the valley in between her breasts, letting it slide over her left nipple to the right one, the little peaks hardening right away, making him smile. He loved the effect he had on her.

He continued to tease her nipples with the frozen liquid, loving to see her squirm underneath him. Her breasts had always been very sensitive and he loved to use it to his advantage.

"God…Roman…," she panted, still trying to move but he simply wouldn't let her. He was far stronger than she was.

He moved the ice cube back to the valley in between her breasts, letting it go so that it could glide down her body, her hot skin melting it almost instantly so that he had to hurry to catch it with his mouth just an inch above her clit.

"Roman…please…," she pleaded, the sweet torture almost making her dizzy.

Roman knew what she wanted. She wanted to feel the sensations on her swollen nub, wanted him to let it wander all over her most intimate part. But he wanted to tease her just a little more, wetting her pussy lips with the ice cold substance, moving it from one side to the other without touching her clit. He did this several times, loving how she was begging him to finally touch her where she needed it the most.

And the moment he did, a scream slipped from her lips, making him groan as well. He had her in the palm of his hand and he enjoyed every second of it.

"Fuck…baby…that feels amazing," she moaned out loud, raising her hips almost automatically only for him to push her back down again.

If he kept going like this, the ice cube would not survive another minute. But he was having so much fun with this that he didn't even want to stop. He placed it right on her clit, sucking it both into his mouth, swallowing the combination of her essence and the ice-cold water. It was a delicacy to him, there was no denying it.

He once again let the rest of the cube slide down, stopping it at her wet entrance. With the tip of his tongue, he pushed it inside of her, not surprised to see her fight the urge to scream out loud. She would never be able to describe the sensations she was feeling. The ice-cold element inside of her hot, wet pussy. It was almost unbearable – in a good way.

It didn't help matters that Roman fucked her with his tongue now, his nose rubbing against her clit at the same time. She was sure she had never felt closer to paradise than in this very moment.

"Baby…I'm gonna cum…I can't stop it anymore," she panted, still trying to free her hands from the handcuffs but it was to no avail. She wanted to see him, touch him, feel him.

She groaned in frustration when he abruptly let go of her, not believing he denied her the orgasm she so desperately longed for. But her frustration was long gone when he all of a sudden plunged into her, in one fell swoop filling her to the hilt.

Karolina didn't know whether she was coming or going. All these sensations she was experiencing, it was almost too much for her to handle. His hands, his tongue, his rock-hard dick…it was as if he touched every inch of her body – inside and out.

He pumped into her at a fast pace, his thrusts hard and long, creating a delicate friction between them. Her ever-growing wetness made it easy for him to slide in and out of her, the smacking noises of skin slapping skin filling the room, mixed with their moans and screams.

He spread her legs even wider apart, holding himself up on his knees, diving deeper into her minute by minute. The way she laid there so helplessly, wanting to move her hands so badly, it turned him on even more. She enjoyed this. She loved to be at his mercy. It was a sweet torture, he knew it, but he also knew that she felt the need to be dominated like this once in a while.

"Let me cum…please…let me cum, baby," she begged after a while, her thighs already shaking slightly.

She had tried to suppress the impeding orgasm for several minutes now. She couldn't take it any longer.

"Then let go, babygirl. Cum for me. Coat this dick with your juices, come on," he encouraged her in his deep voice, still pumping into her mercilessly.

To increase her pleasure, he let go of one of her legs, using his free hand to pinch her clit, watching in delight how she fell apart underneath him. He didn't stop her from screaming out loud this time, wanting her to enjoy her orgasm to the fullest. He slowed down a little, the way she was milking him, holding his dick in a vice grip, it brought him too close. He savoured the feeling of the familiar pulsating inside of her. It was incomparable.

He sped up again when she seemed to come down from her high, an idea forming in his head when he watched how she licked her lips.

He almost startled her by pulling off the blindfold, quickly sliding out of her once she adjusted her eyes to the dimly lit bedroom.

Everything happened so fast all of a sudden. He moved up her body, kneeling above her chest, his knees to the left and right of her body, his hard cock right in front of her face.

"You wanted my cum? Open your mouth and swallow every fucking drop, Karolina," he groaned, furiously stroking himself now.

She watched in awe how he got himself off, once again licking her lips before expectantly opening her mouth. She knew it wouldn't take long anymore, his strokes got faster and faster, his breath shallow. Although he had a hard time keeping his eyes open, he wanted to watch her. He wanted to memorize this forever.

"Fuck…god…I'm cumming…," he groaned, his cum squirting onto her face, spurt by spurt.

She tried to absorb as much as she could, swallowing eagerly. It was the least she could do after he had given her so much pleasure. She loved him, unconditionally. He was the only one she would do it for.

A minute later he finally uncuffed her, leaving the bedroom without saying another word. She almost started to worry when he finally came back with a warm washcloth, softly wiping off her face, cleaning her up. He was a gentleman after all.

"That was amazing, Roman," she said, looking deep into his eyes, both of them kneeling on the bed in front of each other now.

"I'm sorry for the surprising ending. I wanted this to be all about you," he apologized, looking at her confused when she shook her head giggling.

"I love you, baby," she simply said, kissing his lips sweetly.

"I love you more, always remember that," he replied before cupping her face with both hands and giving her a kiss that was full of love and passion.

 **…**

Seth would never understand why it always took Roman ages under the shower. Yes, his friend had a long-ass mane of hair. He knew from his own experience how long it took to get them dry but they had agreed to meet up with Dean in the lobby 15 minutes ago.

"Hurry up, Ro. We're fucking late," he yelled as soon as the blow-dryer was switched off, taking another look at his watch before sighing in annoyance.

"I'll be there in a minute. Calm your tits, dude," he grumbled while grabbing his hair to put it into a ponytail.

Although all three of them were very busy while they were on the road, they had made a deal to meet in a bar at least once a week to have a few beers and just talk about everything under the sun. They needed that to let loose, to not let work consume them. Being with each other felt like home away from home. They were not just best friends, no, they were brothers.

Things have not always been easy in the past. Especially between Seth and Roman. But even after all the hard and troubled times, after all the weddings and kids, they still had each other's backs. And that was the most important thing to them. That would never change.

Seth started tapping his fingers on his thighs, whistling a song that wouldn't leave his mind all day. He really hated Lady Gaga but that new song of hers definitely had a ring to it. Karo should never get a wind of this. She would definitely behead him. That thought alone made him chuckle.

He was brought back to reality when Roman's cell phone beeped right next to him on the table, almost startling him. He must have been in a trance.

Almost automatically and without thinking too much about it, he leaned forward to check who texted him, hoping to catch a dirty text message from Karo he could tease his friend with. He loved to embarrass Roman in front of Dean.

But what he saw then made his blood run cold, almost making him sick to his stomach. He didn't want to read this. He wanted to stop after the first couple of words. But he just couldn't. He needed to convince himself that he was seeing things, that this was a joke.

But it wasn't. This message wasn't addressed to Roman by mistake. No. It contained explicit content, mentioning his name…

And it wasn't Karo's number the text message came from.

The moment Roman opened the bathroom door, Seth looked at him with shock and confusion reflecting in his eyes, not even sure how to approach his best friend now.

"You okay, dude? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Roman said with a chuckle, tightening a watch around his wrist.

He looked at Seth again when he didn't answer, a frown on his face. What the hell just happened?

"Roman," Seth said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. "Who the fuck is Cassie?"

 **...**

 **A/N: And here we go...(Please don't hate me)**


	6. The truth has been revealed

**_I would like to thank reignsbabee, ambrosethreigns, Kalea N Reigns, ambrosegirl1998, Lilygirl95, Beastielife, Insane Cali Gurl, Ctinaisfashion, Shannon5288, StoryLover82, fenner82, Solosunni, Moxley Gal1, WickedRedRose22, CFierce116, insky5967, mitchy21, Samantha, AnonForNow, Micah, shamonticupcake, benova13, CheekyClaudine, Adel, WhatImZayn, SPARKELS77,_** **_Shelly, christinayvonne_ _and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter. Wow…I think this is a new record, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you sooo much for this._**

 _ **Yep. It's shocking, isn't it? Our lovely and oh so perfect Roman hehe But after talking to so many of you privately as well, I know you understand why it had to be him and not one of the other two. I was expecting more hate-filled messages though lol But you guys are so supportive…just wow. Thanks for your reactions, your feedback and the way you are invested in this story. I'm blown away.**_

 _ **Now onto the next chapter. Enjoy & review :)**_

 _ **And MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you :)**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 6: The truth has been revealed**

Roman just looked at Seth shocked, not sure what to say. The color has drained from his face, making him pale – and that really meant something.

"She is…she's nobody really," he stuttered, lying his friend straight to the face. He hated doing it, but he had to.

Seth looked at the Samoan incredulously, his heart heavy in his chest. Was his best friend, his brother, really lying to him? Was this really happening? It just didn't feel right. That must have been some bad joke.

"Ro…," he started, trailing off. He didn't even know what to say. "That girl just sent you a text message. And she clearly didn't just ask you how you were doing."

Roman immediately grabbed his cell phone, nervously checking what was shown on the display. The message was explicit, definitely giving it all away. He didn't know what to do. Should he pretend that this was just a misunderstanding? That this wasn't really what it looked like? But there was no denying it anymore. He was caught.

He ran a shaky hand over his tired face, sighing heavily. What was he supposed to say now? That he fucked up? That he was a sorry excuse of a man? He didn't even need to point it out, it was crystal clear.

"I honestly don't know what to say," he admitted, looking at Seth anxiously. He was so ashamed of himself.

"How long has this been going on? Who is she?" Seth asked, his heart breaking when he thought about Karolina. That would absolutely devastate her.

"I don't know. For a while already….a few months, I guess," the Samoan replied curtly, sitting down on his hotel bed, opposite to Seth. "I've known her since high school. We've been close friends in the past. She lives in Pensacola as well."

"Does Karo know her?" Seth immediately asked, the expression on his face not readable. He was in pure and utter shock.

"God no…no, they don't know each other," Roman clarified, trying to search Seth's eyes for a reaction. But there was none. "I'm sorry, dude."

Seth looked at the bigger man disbelievingly. What did he just say?

"You're sorry? You're telling me that you're fucking sorry? You need to tell Karo, Ro," he raised his voice slightly, bristling with anger. "Why? Why the fuck are you even doing this? I don't get it. I…I mean…don't you love Karo anymore?"

That last question hurt Roman deeply. He was expecting something like that though. He couldn't blame Seth for wanting to know.

"Of course I still love her. It's just that I…," he started but stopped the moment Seth stood up abruptly, startling him with his sudden movement.

"Why would you do something like that then? Why are you fucking another woman if you're in love with your wife? Why are you betraying her and your kids?" he yelled, beyond mad at his best friend now.

"Leave my kids out of this, Rollins," Roman said through gritted teeth, standing up now as well. "And don't fucking yell at me."

"Ohhh no, Roman. You don't get to be angry with me now. You fucked this up, not me," he snapped, now standing face to face with the dark-haired man.

They both stared into each other's eyes in silence, trying to fathom what was happening. It didn't make sense to fight, especially not physically. That wouldn't solve the problems at hand.

They both took a step back, slowly putting a distance between their bodies again. Seth had the urge to slap the taste out of Roman's mouth. To knock some sense into him. To make him understand that he was making a mistake. A big one. How could he do that to Karo? How could he do this to his children? He just didn't understand. He would never understand.

"You need to end this, Roman. And you have to tell Karo," the two-toned man said, now more calmly.

Roman huffed, slightly turning around to throw his cell phone onto the bed. He would definitely not reply to Cassie now. For him their affair had just ended then and there now that Seth knew. Maybe he needed this in order to finally get the hint and stop seeing her. It was sad that it had to happen like that. He should have done it on his own terms.

"I've tried to end it many times before," he said truthfully, now facing his friend again. "I just couldn't."

"Why? Because the smell of her pussy was too intoxicating?" Seth scoffed, not feeling one bit sorry for Roman when he looked at him ashamed. "Do you have any feelings for that girl? Is that what it is?"

"Seth...I know I fucked up, ok? I care for Cassandra, but there are no feelings, there's no love. I wish you would let me explain why I…," he began to declare but Seth didn't even want to know.

"I honestly don't care why you did it. It just pisses me off that you did it in the first place," he retorted, realizing that Roman still needed to answer him one question. "Will you tell Karo?"

Roman sighed heavily once again, not having thought about needing to tell anyone at all. He had wanted to end things with Cassie and forget about it. He had never planned to tell Karo or any of his friends ever.

"I don't wanna hurt her," he simply said, not at all surprised when Seth laughed mockingly.

"You already did, big man, you already did," he answered, taking his cell phone and wallet and putting it into his jeans pockets.

"Don't tell her, Seth. Please don't. Give me some time to fix this. I'm gonna tell her, I promise," Roman pleaded desperately, even willing to go down on his knees in order to beg his friend not to tell anyone.

Seth seemed to think hard about the Samoan's words, trying to grasp what him telling Karo would cause. He didn't want to be the one to break her heart. He didn't want to see her face when he told her that the love of her life was cheating on her. Roman was the one who needed to deal with this on his own. He had to be the one to see what he had done to the person he loved the most. It wasn't Seth's place to tell her. It just wasn't.

"Let's go. Ambrose is waiting for us," he responded curtly, turning around to leave the hotel room, leaving the door open for Roman to follow him whenever he was ready.

 **…**

It was a couple of beers later that Roman went to the restrooms for the first time, leaving Dean and Seth behind at the table.

"What the fuck is wrong with you two?" Dean asked curiously, looking at his friend with the two-toned hair intently. "I know I'm not an expert when it comes to human relations of any sort, but the atmosphere obviously seems to be fucking tense tonight."

Seth chugged down his Budweiser, not seeing the impressed look Dean was giving him. He had never seen his friend so thirsty. Something must be terrible wrong.

"Roman cheated on Karo," Seth simply said, slightly slurring. He didn't even care that he let the cat out of the bag just like that.

Dean looked at Seth as if he had two heads, wondering if he was hearing things. He must have had too much beer already. "What?"

"You heard me, Ambrose. He's having an affair with some chick he knows from high school," Seth replied in disgust, turning to face his friend, not surprised to see his eyes almost pop out of his head.

"You've gotta be kidding me. How did you find out? Did he tell you?" Dean asked, completely stunned. He wouldn't put it past anyone to be a cheater but not Roman. Anyone but Roman, to be completely honest. His friend was the most loyal and faithful man he had ever met in his life. And now this?

"He was in the bathroom when that girl texted him. I read the message by accident. He would probably keep going like this for the next few years if I didn't approach him about it," he scoffed in exaggeration, beckoning to the waiter to bring him another beer.

Dean didn't know what to say. He was in shock, just like Seth had been when he first found out. How could Roman do this to Karo and the kids? Why would he even do something like this? Everybody expected him to be the one to fuck things up one day. Hell, even Seth was higher on the list of the 'cheaters in the making'. But Roman? Nobody ever tipped him to be one to betray his family like that.

"You guys up for a round of shots?" Roman asked when he came back to the table, clearly wanting to get as drunk as possible.

"You cheated on Karo?" Dean asked without beating around the bush while at the same time trying to be as discreet as possible, not wanting their colleagues to hear any of this. Karo didn't need to learn the news from some lurid diva. She meant too much to him and he definitely wanted to protect her from something like that.

Roman groaned in annoyance, sending Seth a death glare. He couldn't believe he ratted him out like that. He had asked his friend for some time to fix things. And just a few hours later, he spilled the beans. Who would he tell next? Karolina?

"Thanks, asshole," he seethed, sitting down on the chair next to Dean, finishing his beer in one gulp.

"You're welcome, you fucking jerk," Seth fired back, not letting Roman make him feel guilty.

They remained silent when the waiter brought them another round of beers, not needing some stranger listen to them talk about something so personal and serious. A marriage was at stake. A whole family even.

"The fuck, Roman?" Dean more stated than asked, not believing that this was indeed true.

"What do you want me to say now, huh? What do you expect me to do? Go down on my knees and apologize to you?" he scoffed, rubbing his eyes in annoyance before taking a deep breath. "Look, I get it, ok? I fucked up. And as much as I don't expect you to understand, as much as I don't expect you to approve of this, I at least ask you to have my back. I know this is not easy. For everyone involved. Seth, I know this is an extremely difficult situation for you, considering that you're so close to Karo. But please, both of you, don't tell anyone. I'm going to end things with Cassie. I'll do it as soon as we're back home. Don't tell Shannon or Maxine. I want to tell Karo when the time is right. But boys, don't give up on me, ok? I need you now…more than ever."

Dean and Seth both looked at each other intently, having a telepathic conversation. Yes, Seth was extremely pissed off at Roman. He was hurting for his best friend. He didn't understand why this was happening. But he would never let Roman down, as difficult as it might be. Dean felt the same way. He was disappointed in the Samoan, not being able to fathom that he would really fuck up the best thing that has ever happened to him. But just like Seth, Dean would never leave Roman high and dry. They've been through so much already, as The Shield and individually. He would always have his back.

"Fix this, Roman. Make the best of a bad job," Dean advised, looking over to Seth, nodding his head towards his younger friend, encouraging him to say something as well.

Seth swallowed hard. What was he even supposed to say? He was too drunk to think straight. Maybe he was overreacting. This didn't even concern him directly, but it certainly felt like it. They were a big family. Roman was risking to ruin everything.

"I promise you I will not tell Karolina. But if I ever find out that you're still seeing this chick, I won't guarantee anything," he said, looking deep into the Samoan's eyes. "I mean it, Ro."

Roman let out a sigh of relief, happy that his friends were having his back. They were his brothers after all. He knew that this was difficult for everyone involved. He felt extremely guilty. And it hurt him to see the disappointment in both Seth's and Dean's eyes. He was disappointed in himself as well. He just wished he could fix this before it was too late.

 **...**

"Thanks for bringing me to my room, Ambrose. You really didn't have to," Roman said with a chuckle, the many beers he already had being the icing on the cake as he was slightly slurring. "Good night, bro."

He stared after Dean in surprise when he entered his hotel room, not remembering to have invited his best friend in.

"Uhm...I don't swing that way, dude. You should know that by now," Roman joked, closing the door behind him from inside. "I'm also not going to offer you coffee."

Dean turned around to look at his Samoan friend intently, no smile on his face. He was serious, not in the mood for joking.

"Let's talk about this, Roman," Dean spoke out, sitting down on the couch Seth had been sitting on hours ago. Roman felt as if he was experiencing déjà-vu.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say," the dark-haired man replied, sighing heavily.

"How about you start being honest with me for once?" he more stated than asked, looking at Roman expectantly. "Just tell me why, dude."

Roman sat down on the bed, hanging his head in shame. He knew someone would want to hear an explanation. He just didn't expect it to be Dean. He thought it would be Seth. But his younger friend apparently had more trouble accepting this situation as he was very close to Karolina. It wasn't that Dean couldn't care less about her, but he probably wasn't that biased when it came to her. He loved her like a sister but Roman was his brother from another mother. He would always support him, even if he didn't agree with his decisions.

"There's no excuse for what I've done. So please don't regard my reasons as any kind of justification," Roman started, deciding to use the opportunity to finally explain himself to somebody that was willing to listen. "I met Cassie again when I went to Wisteria Tavern with Matt a few months ago. She's working there. We chatted for a while, nothing serious. She somehow put a piece of paper with her number into my pocket. Please don't ask me how. I must have been drunk."

"So you called her?" Dean mused, interrupting him.

"I don't know why I did it, but yes…yes, I did," Roman replied, continuing with his story. "Leni was in trouble at school and I was constantly fighting with Karo. Hunter shooed me from one media appointment to the other, then all these overseas tours…I had no time to breathe. Look, before you say anything…I know your life is no different compared to mine, but I just can't handle this pressure. My performance in the ring started to lack. And Vince called me out on it. He threatened to take my spot should I not improve again. I was stressed out, Ambrose. I still am. Normally my home would be my escape, but it wasn't anymore. I just don't understand why Leni is being so difficult. I mean, yeah, it's my fault. Karo and I have made so many mistakes when it came to her. I just can't handle this. And I feel guilty for it. Instead of working this out with my wife, I went to someone else. Someone who wouldn't expect anything from me. And that someone was Cassie. All she did was ask me how I was without really needing and wanting to know. All we both wanted was sex. To get away from our hectic lives, even if it just was for a few hours. She didn't ask for anything, she just gave me a release…as stupid as it sounds. I love Karo, I really do. With all my heart. And I was so stupid to think that our marriage would always be sunshine and roses. I jumped at the first opportunity…the moment there were issues that weren't that easy to solve. I took the easy way out, letting Karo handle it while at the same time blaming her for everything that went wrong. I let her work this out while I left to sleep with another woman. It's the most cowardly thing I've ever done. I don't even want to leave her. I want to be with her, I want to grow old with that woman. That's why I don't even understand why I'm fucking things up like that."

Dean listened to Roman attentively, not interrupting his friend again. He wanted to hear his side of the story, wanted to understand where he was coming from and why he was doing it. So he just nodded his head, encouraging him to go on.

"I've never felt good about it. Not once. I felt horrible for using Cassandra like that, for betraying Karo and my kids. I was a man thinking with his dick, not realizing what kind of consequences this could have. I lied to Karo over and over again. Telling her I would help my dad in the garden. Dude, I even messed up my clothes to prove my point before I returned home. It's ridiculous. I've tried ending it with Cassie so many times already," he explained, stopping when he noticed that Dean wanted to say something.

"Why didn't you then?" the short-haired man asked curiously.

Roman huffed, not even thinking about lying to his friend's face. Dean was a man through and through. He was sure he would understand somehow.

"Each and every time I was planning on doing it, she rubbed her ass against my crotch or fell down on her knees to give me an incredible blowjob. I obviously completely forgot about wanting to dump her," he admitted.

"The weapons of a woman," Dean said nonchalantly, feeling his friend's pain although he clearly should scold him for feeling this way.

"I might sound like an asshole now, but most of the times I took her from behind. I didn't want to see her face while I was fucking her. I never stayed the night, never exchanged any loving words or hugs with her. I was careful as well…you know…with protection and stuff. I treated her like some slut and I shouldn't have done that. Not only do I feel guilty towards Karo but her as well," the Samoan concluded, swallowing hard.

Dean nodded his head in understanding, trying to process all the things Roman had just told him. This was indeed a fucked up situation and it wouldn't be easy fixing it all that fast.

"Does she have any feelings for you? That Cassie girl?" he wondered aloud, leaning back on the couch to get more comfortable.

"I had the feeling she's wanted to tell me that she loves me for quite some time now. I always stopped her when she was about to do it. I didn't want to hear her say it. It would make things even more difficult. I know deep down that she really loves me and that sucks big time. I'm betraying the love of my life, my wife, the mother of my children while at the same time using a young woman that fell in love with me. Is there a bigger asshole out there than me?" he asked, not really expecting Dean to answer.

A couple of moments passed, the room falling silent. Dean wanted to be careful with his words, thinking hard about them.

"You fucked up, Ro," he stated as a matter of fact, looking at his friend intently. "As you said, there are no excuses for what you've done. And I know that the girls, maybe even Seth, would kill me for what I'm telling you know, but I kinda understand. I would have done the same thing before meeting Shannon. It's just weird seeing you do it. You're the perfect guy. You're an amazing friend, a great husband, a good father…hard worker. Everybody is looking up to you…it's actually quite annoying. To see you like this now is new to me. Don't think I support your decisions. I don't. I think you're the biggest dick for doing this. But I'm not gonna judge you. I'm here for your man, no matter what's going to happen. I'm on Seth's side though when I say you need to end this affair now. And you have to tell Karo in due time. It doesn't matter if it's gonna hurt her or not, she has a right to know. You owe this to Leni and Siaki as well," Dean advised in a calm voice, slowly getting up.

Roman stood up as well, standing in his spot awkwardly. He didn't expect Dean to be so understanding but he couldn't be more grateful.

"I really hope it works out well for you. You and Karo…you guys belong together. Your children need you, dude. This will affect us all, you know?" the younger man said, spreading his arms to hug his best friend tightly. "Hit me up if you need me. I'll always be here for you."

Roman was touched by his friend's words, trying his best not to become too emotional. He felt like crying. Crying because he hurt Karo. Crying because he used Cassie. Crying because he had such a great friend. He deserved to feel like a piece of shit though.

And he wouldn't complain about it once.

 **…**

Roman took a deep breath, repeating the words in his head over and over again. He was nervous, anxious even.

Four days had passed since both Seth and Dean found out that Roman had an affair. Now he was standing in front of Cassie's apartment door.

He needed to do this now. He needed to end things with her. And this time he wouldn't let her seduce him. He had to be strong. He had to get it over with. It would only be fair to her. Not to mention his family and friends.

"Roman…baby…hey," Cassandra said in surprise after opening the door, not having expected him to visit her that day. "I had no idea you would be around today."

He took a deep breath when she wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her head on his chest. He just hoped she wouldn't notice how fast his heart was beating.

He couldn't even hug her back. He just couldn't. It would feel so wrong to do it.

"Are you ok?" she asked dumbfounded when she realized how tense he was, not liking how absent-minded he seemed to be.

"Can I come in?" he asked, almost impatiently, completely ignoring her question. He wasn't ok. But he didn't want to discuss this with her now.

She wordlessly stepped aside, letting him in. He was emotionally cold this time. Not that he had ever acted emotionally attached towards her, but most of the times he was at least kind of caring. This was new to her.

He looked around nervously, not sure if he wanted to sit down or not. He owed her an explanation. He couldn't just dump her and leave again, but he didn't think that it was right to get comfortable.

"Roman, what's wrong?" she asked fearfully, her heart heavy in her chest. She didn't know why she even asked when she already knew deep down what he was there for. It was obvious.

"Cassandra," he said quietly, almost whispering. He once again sighed heavily before saying the words he knew would break her heart into a million pieces. "It's over."


	7. Breaking hearts

**_I would like to thank Ctinaisfashion, StoryLover82, CheekyClaudine, angelsdee327,_** ** _Sh_ _annon5288, Lilygirl95, lunatic Oueen, shamonticupcake, janetreader24, benova13, Micah, samantha, Adel, Insane Cali Gurl, mitchy21, Solosunni, CFierce116, reignsbabee, WickedRedRose22 and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter. Also a big thank you to all of you that keep sending me PMs :) You guys are the best!_**

 _ **Now enjoy & review the next chapter...please :P**_

 _ **AND HAPPY NEW YEAR, my friends :)**_

 ** _.._.**

 **Chapter 7: Breaking hearts**

Cassandra looked at him appalled, not wanting to believe he really just said that. Although she had already known deep down that this was most likely the reason for his sudden appearance, it still hurt. A lot. So much that she could literally feel her heart breaking inside of her chest.

"Wha…what do you mean, Roman?" she stuttered, trying very hard to suppress the tears that were filling her eyes.

She searched his eyes, not liking that he was trying to avoid looking at her. He should be man enough to look into her eyes right now. He owed her that much.

"It's over, Cassie. We're done," he repeated, his tone harsh. He didn't even want to answer any questions right now.

"But why all of a sudden?" she asked, single tears now streaming down her face. She just couldn't help it.

Roman swallowed hard. What was he supposed to say now? Should he tell her the truth? Was he even obliged to tell her why? He didn't want her to know that they got caught. He didn't want her to have the feeling that this was the only reason he was ending things with her. He should have done it much earlier anyways.

"All of a sudden?" he more stated than asked, his words now more soft-spoken than before. "Cassandra, this has gone on for way too long already. I've been on the verge of ending this numerous times before. We have different ideas about this whole thing, you know?"

"And what's your idea then, huh? Tell me why you kept coming back to me…over and over again," she sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

"Cassie…," he said, sighing heavily. Why was she hurting herself like that? "Do you really want me to say it again? Do you really want to hear why this has to end? You know it already. Stop doing this to yourself."

He didn't even know how to act towards her. It felt as if she were a stranger to him ever since he had decided for himself to let her go. He couldn't wrap his arms around her and tell her that it would be fine, that everything would be ok. How hypocritical would that be? Having sex with her for one last time would be wrong as well – on so many levels.

"I'm so sorry, Cassandra. I really mean it. We never should have done this to begin with. I take all the blame for this though. This is not your fault. It's mine and mine alone. I'm a married man. I'm a father of two kids. I shouldn't have let the stress get to me so much that I would make such a big mistake. It kills me that you got hurt in the process. You deserve better than this, babe. You really do. I'm not the right man for you, never have been…"

"You don't get to tell me what I deserve. You don't get to decide who the right man for me is. Shut up," she yelled, crying even harder now.

She knew that this day would eventually come. She knew that one day he would feel so guilty towards his family that he would dump her. That day had come now and she couldn't be more heartbroken. Nobody could ever prepare for anything like this.

"Why can't you just love me back, Roman?" she cried, her whole body shaking with sobs.

He looked at her pitifully, thinking hard about what he had to say next. He really didn't want to hurt her. He hated doing this to her. He was the biggest asshole in the universe for doing this to her. He had used her - there was no other word for saying it.

"Because I love my wife. Because I love my children," he once again confessed, taking a very deep breath before saying the words he needed to say to finally make her understand. "Because I simply don't love you."

She broke down crying in front of him. She didn't have the strength to fight it anymore. She completely lost it.

Roman didn't know what to do. He felt so helpless, so lost.

He still remembered the very first time they had met at her place, their conversation crossing his mind. He had told her from the very beginning that this was purely about sex. She knew that he was married, that he had kids. She even asked him why he would get involved with her when he still loved his wife. He had truthfully told her that he wanted to have some fun and that he needed a little distraction from his hectic life. She had accepted it. And she had agreed to only take this as a sexual relationship – nothing more.

"Please don't cry," he pleaded desperately, sadness and guilt reflecting in his eyes. "Please Cassie…forgive me. I'm so sorry!"

He had tears in his eyes himself, his heart heavy in his chest.

He knew he could apologize to her over and over again, but it wouldn't make a difference. She would still be hurt, she would still be heartbroken. He was such a dick for doing this. He would never be able forgive himself for this.

"Cassie…," he whispered, kneeling down beside her now.

He was shocked when she slapped away his hand, not wanting him to touch her. He lost the privilege of touching her when he dumped her a few minutes before. Having him so close really tore her up.

"Go! Fucking leave. I don't want to see you anymore…please…just go…," she begged, the sobs that were still shaking her body making it difficult for her to breathe properly.

When he once again tried touching her, she started hitting him. She hit his chest with her fists again and again, taking all the hurt and anger out on him.

"GO!" she screamed, not even being able to look into his eyes.

Roman didn't know what to do or say anymore. He was shocked to see her like that, to see what he had done. He never would have thought this would hurt her so much. He never would have thought that something that started off as a casual affair would turn into such an emotional disaster.

He could only imagine how Karo would feel when he told her. He was sure he would lose it all. And he truly hoped that one day he would rot in hell for all the pain he brought onto his wife and his concubine. He was such a sorry excuse of a man. Nobody could ever convince him otherwise.

 **…**

Maxine observed her husband attentively, trying to convince herself that he was his usual self, but she just couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being different this time.

Ever since coming back from being on the road, he was on edge. It wasn't that he was being a dick towards her. Quite the contrary. He was unusually cuddly, telling her over and over again how much he loved her. She didn't mind though, she would never complain. Seth could be like that if he wanted to. He just hadn't acted like that in a long time and it honestly confused her a little.

"Okay girls, it's time to go tidy up your room. Give daddy a break. You know he's exhausted from work," Maxine said softly, offering Seth a hand to help him get up from the living room floor. "And take your toys with you."

"But mommy," Joan whined, having enjoyed playing 'tea time' with her daddy.

"No buts. We've made a deal, remember?" she more stated than asked, looking at both Joan and Hayley expectantly, smiling to herself when they both groaned in annoyance before picking up their little teapot and cups.

Seth watched his kids in silence, letting out a deep breath as soon as they disappeared up the stairs. He loved his girls with all his heart and he enjoyed spending every free minute with them, but today he was emotionally exhausted.

"What's wrong, baby?" Maxine asked him surprisingly, interrupting his thoughts.

Seth looked at her confused, not having realized that he must have been so deep in thought. His wife knew him too well. He couldn't hide his true feelings from her. But this time he couldn't tell her the truth. He had promised Roman not to tell anyone, not even his wife.

"Just exhausted, that's all," he lied, giving her a fake smile.

He wrapped his arms around her midsection gently, pulling her close. He still couldn't believe what Roman had done. He looked deep into Maxine's eyes, wondering if he could ever do something like that to her. He wasn't an angel. By no means. But he wasn't sure he could ever betray his wife like that. He loved her too much for that. Yes, he ran whenever things got difficult. But the gym was his escape in his case, not another woman.

"Something's bothering you," she said quietly, almost accusingly. She wanted him to tell the truth, not lie to her.

Seth swallowed hard when he noticed that she almost had tears in her eyes. It really broke his heart. They had had a difficult time in the past. They had fought a lot. And unfortunately he only realized now that he handled the situation in the wrong manner. He needed to stop running. He needed to confront the situation and be honest with her. Instead of fighting, they needed to start talking. They were husband and wife, they were parents. They couldn't just go separate ways and hope that things would get better just like that.

"I want us to stop fighting so much," he confessed, surprising her with his statement. "I don't want us to drift apart."

"We won't, baby. Why would you even think that?" she asked curiously, cupping his face with both of her hands.

He so badly wanted to tell her. He wanted to explain to her why he was feeling this way, why he was so scared. But he couldn't. Not yet, not now. He was a man of his word.

"I just…I just had time to think. Like…after the show on Monday, I couldn't sleep. I lay awake, thinking about us," he started, not entirely lying to her this time. "I realized how much I left you alone with the kids. I'm gone so much as it is, being on the road. But leaving while I'm home makes it even worse. I took the easy way out. It's not fair. It's not fair to you nor is it fair to the girls. And I would like to apologize for that. I wanna make more time for you guys. I wanna be here whenever you need me. I know life as a married couple is not always easy. We've been fighting so much about indifferent issues…it just…it doesn't make sense, Maxi. Let's work it out. Let's try to be a better family. I promise you I'll be a better man for you, a better father to Joan and Hayley. I'll stop spending so much time at the gym. I just want you to be happy."

Maxine looked at him intently, seeing the seriousness and honesty in his eyes. She didn't know where all of this was coming from, but she appreciated his willingness to work on saving their marriage.

"We all need to be happy, baby. Not just me," she corrected, kissing his lips sweetly. "I don't know why you're having this change of heart, and I don't even want to question it, but it means a lot to me that you want to do this. Your daughters will be thrilled to spend more time with you. Even if it's just for another tea party. You'll make them the happiest girls ever."

Seth smiled at her with a mixture of happiness and sadness at the same time. He couldn't believe he let his girls down all this time. They loved him unconditionally and he couldn't even pay them back equally. All of that would change now. It was sad that Roman cheating on Karolina had to open his eyes to see his own misery.

"I love you, Maxine," he whispered, kissing her softly. "I want you to talk to me whenever something is bothering you."

Maxine still couldn't shake off the feeling that something else must have happened but she wouldn't push him to tell her. He would do so whenever he was ready to open up. She trusted that he could deal with it himself or else he would confide in her.

For the first time in months, she was positive that things would change for the better. It was about time too. She had even been thinking about taking more serious measures. But Seth didn't need to know about this. Not anymore.

Things were looking up now. Finally.

 **…**

Dean had never been one to think about life too much. Yes, there had been situations where he thought about life in general. When Shannon had to have emergency surgery, for example. Or the day his son was born. But other than that, he took things the way they came, not questioning anything.

Ever since finding out that Roman cheated on Karo, that all changed. He didn't know why. It didn't even concern him directly, but somehow it shook him up.

He thought about all these times he had fought with Shannon. Times where he wanted to be left alone, rather than spending time with his wife and son. He even reminisced about the time Seth had asked him to watch Joan and Hayley, only for him to freak out about the whole situation when he knew deep down that he should be grateful to have such a great, loving family. Yes, he considered them family. All of them. They may not be blood-related but they always had each other's backs and that was the most important thing in the life of Dean Ambrose.

"You need help with your homework, partner?" Dean asked his son when he realized that he seemed to be struggling with the book on the table in front of him.

Dylan turned around when he heard his father's voice, looking at him curiously. Dean had never offered his help before, so it was a positive surprise to his son that he now did.

"Uhm…yes…I…I have trouble with maths," Dylan admitted, looking at his dad sheepishly.

Dean didn't know why his son looked at him so embarrassed. Maybe he was expecting too much from him, already giving him the feeling that he needed to be self-dependent. Just like he had been when he was that age. But Dylan was different. He wasn't like Dean.

While Dean had to provide for himself as a child, having a drug-abusing, alcoholic mother, Dylan had a more or less stable environment. Although Dean wasn't at home as much as he would like to, Shannon was always taking care of their son. She was the rock of the family, for both their son and him. He would forever be grateful for that.

"Don't we all love maths?" Dean questioned jokingly, sitting down next to his son at the table, moving close to him so that he could read the task.

"Was this sarcasm, daddy?" the little boy asked, smiling up at his dad when he laughed.

"Very well observed, Mr Ambrose," Dean replied, ruffling his son's messy hair. It was unbelievable how much they looked alike.

Dylan was a good boy. Very smart too. Dean never would have thought he was able to raise such a polite and well-mannered boy. Most of it he probably had to thank Shannon for, but he wanted a piece of that cake as well.

Dean concentrated on the task at hand once again, explaining how to solve the equation to Dylan, both of them doing it together. It made Dean's chest swell with pride to see how his son smiled happily about getting his homework done with the help of his father.

"You don't have to be embarrassed about doing something wrong, you know? It's normal that we don't always know the answer to a question. We all make mistakes. And we learn from them. I always want you to remember that you can come to me at all times should something bother you. No need to be ashamed," Dean clarified, wanting his son to understand that it was okay to need his parents.

He was a child. And he wanted and needed to allow him to be just that. He would grow up soon enough. He should enjoy being a kid without any responsibilities. It was important to be attentive at school. Doing homework was of particular importance as well. Other than that, he should just be allowed to be a young boy exploring the world.

Dylan seemed to think hard about his father's words, trying to process them. It felt good to hear him say this. Even for a young boy like him, it was essential to be able to trust both of his parents. Having reassurance and comfort meant a lot to him.

He reached for another book in his bag, opening it in the middle to retrieve a piece of paper, shoving it over to this father across the table. He motioned with his head to urge his dad to unfold it, a blush creeping onto his face.

"What's that? A letter from your teacher?" Dean asked curiously, unfolding the piece of paper cautiously.

"Just open it, daddy," Dylan quickly replied, tapping his fingers on the table nervously.

As soon as Dean read what was written on the sheet, he had to try his best not to burst out laughing. He didn't want to embarrass his son once again.

 _*Will you be my boyfriend?*_ was written on the piece of a paper in a very terrible handwriting, right underneath were three boxes, each with either a ' _yes'_ , ' _no'_ and ' _maybe'_ next to them.

"Who's she?" Dean asked interestedly, assuming that the girl's name would start with a 'T' as she drew a heart containing a 'T+D' in the middle.

"Tara," Dylan answered shyly, once again taking the letter away from his daddy, putting it back into his book.

"Do you like Tara?" he wondered, moving slightly to face his son properly.

It seemed as if Dylan had to think about this question intently, not wanting to jump to conclusions. He didn't even know if he liked her or not. She was funny. But he was just a young boy wanting to beat up other boys. Girls were annoying.

"She always pinches my cheeks. That's not cool," the little boy replied, looking at his father confused when he started laughing.

"Lemme guess. She thinks your dimples are cute," he mused, laughing even harder when Dylan nodded his head. "Your mommy does that with me as well, partner."

"What does mommy do?" Shannon asked out of nowhere, startling her son so much that he quickly shut his book, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

Dylan looked at his father pleadingly, moving his gaze down to see his daddy offering him his little finger, both of them doing a pinky promise.

"Oh nothing, sweet cheeks. We're just doing some men talk right here," Dean said, smiling down at his son and winking at him when Shannon wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, placing a soft kiss on the top of his head. "How about McDonalds? Anyone hungry?"

"Yihaaaaaaaaaa," Dylan shrieked, dropping everything in a heartbeat. "I'm getting my shoes."

They had never seen him run faster, making them both chuckle.

"Do you guys keep secrets from me?" Shannon asked teasingly, moving around the chair to sit down on her husband's lap, biting his earlobe softly.

"Don't use sex to get any information out of me. You're not playing fair," he moaned, swallowing hard when she began kissing his neck.

"Is it working though?" she wondered aloud, smiling to herself when he groaned.

They didn't even hear their son return to the living room, both of them jumping when he made a lout 'ugggh' noise, letting them both know he thought they were being disgusting. He wasn't sure he was still hungry after all. Then again, they went to McDonalds. He would always be hungry for McDonalds.

"Can we go now?" Dylan asked annoyed, rolling his eyes, making Shannon giggle.

She was happy that Dean decided to spend more time with them ever since he came back from being on the road. He was like a totally different person. In a good way. Although she didn't really know why all of a sudden. Then again, she still didn't like the fact that he was on his phone so much. She had no idea what he was hiding from her, and it seriously broke her heart. But she tried not to think about it too much now, not even wanting to imagine him texting with another woman.

"Let's go, mommy. Your son is hungry," Dean interrupted her thoughts, bringing her back to reality, not even having the slightest idea of what was going in her mind.

But it would all end soon. Her suspicions, her fears. Everything went according to Dean's plan. It's been hard work though, that was for sure.

 **…**

It felt weird being home this time. As if something had changed.

And it certainly had. Ever since Seth and Dean found out about him cheating on Karo, his whole life had changed.

It was two days before that Roman had ended things with Cassandra. She seemed to have understood, seeing as she never texted him again ever since. Maybe she was still too hurt. He couldn't even blame her. But he was glad that she wasn't even trying to get him back. He had no idea she would give up on him, on them, so easily, but he was certainly relieved that she did.

"You're deep in thought," Karo mused when she saw him sitting on the back porch, a beer in his hand.

The sun was slowly setting, making the horizon look like a mixture between orange and purple. It was such a beautiful sight.

Roman swallowed hard, having the urge to start crying. She shouldn't be concerned about him. He didn't deserve any pity. If she only knew…

He turned around to look at her, smiling at her weakly. He tapped his thigh with his free hand, silently asking her to sit down on his lap.

He sighed heavily when she cuddled into him, her arm wrapped around his shoulders, her head resting against his, both of them watching the sunset in silence.

His heart was beating fast in his chest. He couldn't tell her. Not now. Not ever.

He knew he had to though. And he definitely would. He still needed a few more days. He was waiting for the right time – if there even existed anything like that. How was he even supposed to tell her? There was no easy way to tell her. He would break her heart – one way or another.

"I love you, Karolina," he said out of nowhere, his voice almost cracking.

He felt like such a hypocrite for feeling this way. He shouldn't even be allowed to feel sad. He had nobody to blame but himself. He just wished he could turn back time.

Karo turned her head slowly, looking down at him lovingly. Something had changed in his behaviour, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"I love you too, Roman," she whispered, kissing his forehead softly.

He had accompanied her to Leni's school after all, trying his best to find a solution with her and Leni's teacher so that their daughter would finally get back on track again. He had cooked with them, had taken them to the zoo…It was as if something had happened in the last couple of days that made him rethink everything.

He could feel that he had tears in his eyes, relieved that Karo had turned her attention back to the sunset. He just wanted to feel her in his arms, her hot skin on his, her hair tickling the side of his face. He wanted to relish this to the fullest. He didn't know if he would ever be able to have her this close to him again.

He really loved her. So much that it almost hurt him physically. He should have thought about his earlier. It was too late now. He had fucked up already. He just wished she would be able to forgive him for everything one day.

He pulled her close, kissing her temple softly, not wanting to let go of her ever again.

In two days he would have to leave for work again. Two more days. During these two days he would tell her. She deserved to know the truth.

It broke his heart. Into a million pieces. But it simply had to be done.


	8. Surprising visits

_**I would like to thank Ctinaisfashion, Insane Cali Gurl, reignsbabee, Micah, Beastielife, Shannon5288, Lilygirl95, LetitReigns525, AnonForNow, Adel, samantha, StoryLover82, insky5967, benova13, shamonticupcake, WickedRedRose22, FKP101, Solosunni, lourdes1694, SPARKELS77 and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter. It's so much fun to see how much you all despise Roman for acting the way he does lol**_

 _ **Does it still make you happy that our boy is the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion? It makes me so incredibly proud…it's not even funny. KING!**_

 _ **Now enough of my blabla. Enjoy & review the new chapter :)**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 8: Surprising visits**

It was the next day that Roman and Karolina decided to bake a cake with their kids. For no particular reason, just to spend time together and to create something as a family. Even Siaki was able to help, putting the strawberries his sister had cut into pieces before on top of the cream, making it look even more delicious.

"That looks too good to eat," Karo concluded, gently slapping away Roman's hand when he wanted to snaffle a strawberry. "We have to take a picture first."

Karo ordered Leni and Siaki to sit on the kitchen counter next to the cake, asking them to smile brightly for the camera which – of course – they did. It was such an adorable picture. Her children were incredibly beautiful. She couldn't believe her and Roman created these perfect human beings.

She scurried to stand in front of Roman, holding up her phone so that they both fitted into the display of her cell phone with their faces before snapping away a picture, surprising him with her sudden action.

"Show me," he immediately said, wanting to see the picture himself.

It once again made his heart break in his chest, seeing them both on the photo together. The German beauty and the Samoan beast. That's what Dean used to call them when they started dating.

The picture was perfect. They were both smiling into the camera, his chin on a level with her temple. They looked happy, untouchable. His wife's eyes were shining with happiness, his were full of love.

Appearances were deceiving.

"Send it to me, babygirl. I wanna use it as my phone background," he said before kissing her forehead softly, swallowing hard before the tears would once again fill his eyes. "Who wants some cake now?"

"Me me me," Leni and Siaki both yelled at the same time, giggling when their daddy started to tickle them.

The moment Roman took out the knife to cut the cake into pieces, the doorbell rang. Karo quickly shoved her cell phone back into her jeans pocket before making her way over to the door, wondering who it could be as they were not expecting anybody.

When she opened the door, a black-haired beauty was standing in front of her, a memo pad squeezed under her right arm. She was dressed casually, in black skinny jeans and a white halterneck top, showing off her tanned skin.

"Hey, what can I do for you?" Karo asked, smiling at her politely.

The other woman seemed to look her over from head to toe, an insecure smile on her face. Karo had the impression that she must have been very nervous as she was impatiently rocking back and forth.

"Uhm…hi…my name's…Ca…Catherine. I'm a journalist for…Florida Sun Magazine," she stuttered, clearing her throat before continuing. "I know it's not really professional to just come here without making an appointment beforehand but I would like to ask if Mr Reigns would be available for a short interview for our magazine."

Karolina looked at the young woman confused, in all these years never having experienced a journalist standing on their front porch, asking for an interview. They normally called beforehand, if they even wanted to visit him at home for an interview at all. That was beyond bizarre.

"Well...he actually has a few days off, so I'm not sure if he's willing to do any kind of media today, but I'm going to ask him. Please give me a minute. I'll be right back," Karo replied kindly, turning around to go back into the kitchen where she could hear her husband joke around with their kids.

"Babe, there is some journalist wanting to do a short interview with you for a Florida Sun Magazine or something," Karo started, giggling when Siaki shoved some cake into his father's face. "You want me to send her away?"

"Is she hot?" he joked, chuckling when she sent him a death glare.

"She's pretty nervous though. Not sure if she's just a fan or something," Karo replied, wiping a piece of cake off of his goatee with her finger.

"Well, let's see what this is all about. Anybody want to support daddy do his job?" he asked, directing the question at his kids who jumped up and down in excitement, always happy to be around him – whether he was working or not.

Roman picked up Siaki, carrying him on his arm, while Leni trotted right next to him, Karo hot on their trail. Maybe it was a good idea to show the journalist that she was invading his private territory. Spending time with his family privately meant a lot to him.

His breath hitched in his throat the moment he saw her. His heart stopped beating for a second. He couldn't believe she was standing right in front of his door. His home.

Cassandra.

"I'm sorry Ma'am but I don't do interviews in my private time. Would you please get off of my property?" he demanded, his tone harsh.

He didn't want to talk to her like that, especially not in front of his kids, but she was taking it too far now.

"Roman...," Karo looked at him perplexed, not understanding his sudden change of mood. The poor girl on the other side of the door looked absolutely terrified.

"Why don't you go inside and have another piece of cake, hm?" he asked his wife and kids, letting Siaki down in the process. "I'll make an appointment with the lady so that we can do this interview in a couple of days."

Karo picked up Siaki and took Leni's hand into hers, nodding at the black-haired woman before turning around and making her way back into the house, letting Roman handle this on his own. She was sure this was just another fan after all and she knew he hated when fans appeared at their house to take pics of him and his family.

Roman waited until they were out of earshot, closing the door behind him slightly so that he could talk to Cassandra alone, not needing his wife to hear any of this.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" he said through gritted teeth, running a shaky hand over his face. "You can't just fucking come here and act as if you're a bloody journalist."

"You have beautiful kids, Roman," she said impressed, completely ignoring his outburst.

He looked at her as if she had two heads. If she now had the nerve to also compliment his wife, he would lose his mind.

"Cassie, are you insane?" he asked incredulously, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible. "Why are you here?"

She stared at him disbelievingly. Why would he even ask that? He knew damn well why she was there.

"I love you, Roman," she said as a matter of fact, like it meant nothing.

"Shut up," he seethed, not even meaning to hurt her, but she had no right to pop up at his house like that. "I told you it's over. We have no future. Please try to accept it. I tried to explain to you that I didn't mean to break your heart, that I'm sorry for doing so. But I want to save my marriage. Are you here to ruin me? To ruin my family?"

He knew it wasn't fair to blame her. Maybe he would act the way she was if roles were reversed. He would probably fight for her, wanting her back. But he was a married man. He wanted to stay with his wife and children. Her showing up at his house was the worst thing that could ever happen.

"I wouldn't tell her," Cassandra admitted, although deep down she wished she could. Just so that his wife would leave him. So that she finally could have him to herself. "I miss you. I wanted to see you."

"Please…," he started, sighing heavily. "Please just go. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. We can't keep going like this."

Tears were filling her eyes, but she tried her best not to let them stream down her face. Why did she have to fall in love with a married man? Why couldn't he just love her back? It wasn't easy to let him go, not at all. But she was smart enough to know that she would lose this time. She didn't know if she had the strength to fight for him when she clearly knew he didn't want her. Not anymore. She didn't even know why she wasn't feeling bitter. Not towards him, not towards his wife. She was beyond hurt, that was for sure. And yes, she was angry. That he dumped her like that, out of nowhere. But now, after seeing his kids in person for the first time, she knew she had no chance to get him back, to win his heart.

"I was so stupid for falling in love with you," she whispered, wiping away a tear that had escaped her eye. "I wish I never would have met you again. You fucked up my whole life. And I will never forgive you for doing that. Take care of your children, Roman. And try to keep your dick in your pants in the future."

And without even giving him another chance to reply, she turned around and left his property, not once turning back again.

He stared after her, not believing that all of this had just happened. Were they done for good now? Did she finally give up, understanding that things were indeed over between them? He could only hope that this was the case. His poor heart would not survive another conformation at his house with his wife and children around.

"Everything ok?" Karo asked from close to scratch, startling him. He hoped she didn't hear a word they were saying. But he was sure she would have kicked his ass already if she indeed had.

"Yeah…yeah. She was very…persistent. I had a hard time convincing her to postpone this interview to next week. I want some of that cake too, you know?" he joked, kissing her lips sweetly. He was relieved that she seemed to believe him.

That was a close call. Once again.

He really needed to tell Karo. He needed to tell her today.

Or better yet...tomorrow?

 **…**

When Cassandra once again texted him later that day, saying that she wanted to see him again, to talk things over, he decided that he needed his best friends' advice on how to handle this situation as he felt as if he was at the end of his rope. What else did he need to tell her to finally make her understand?

So he was on his way to Dean's house now, knowing that both he and Seth would already be waiting for him, expecting the worst. He hadn't told them what he wanted to talk about, but they rightly expected it to be about his fucked up situation with Cassie and Karo.

"So, Shannon is out for a couple more hours?" Roman asked as soon as Dean opened the front door, letting him in.

"Yep, she's in the gym and wanted to do some grocery shopping afterwards," the short-haired man replied, following Roman into the living room where Seth was already awaiting them. "What happened?"

Roman took a deep breath, sighing heavily. He was so grateful that his friends were willing to listen to him whine and bitch although he had no right to expect any pity from them. He actually deserved to get cussed out and called names.

"Cassie came by to visit today," he said nonchalantly, chuckling bitterly when Seth gasped. "She passed herself off as a journalist who wanted to do a short interview with me. Karo opened the door to her. She even met Leni and Siaki."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Dean said disbelievingly, looking at his Samoan friend wide-eyed. "That girl has some fucking nerve."

"And you're sure you made it crystal clear to her that you guys were over?" Seth asked unsure, shrugging his shoulders when Roman sent him a death glare. "Relax…just asking."

"I broke her fucking heart by telling her that I don't love her. By telling her that I love my wife and that I don't wanna see her again. Do you think that was clear enough?" he barked at the two-toned man, hating that Seth was taking him for a fool.

"So why did she come around then?" Dean wondered, not wanting his two friends to fight.

"To tell me that she loves me and that she misses me," he scoffed, massaging the bridge of his nose to get rid of an impending headache. "She wanted to see me again."

"So now you told her to fuck off?" Seth demanded, taking a sip of his water. He was genuinely relieved that Roman had the courage to end things with Cassandra. He still expected his friend to tell Karo though. The longer he waited, the more difficult it would be. He was convinced of that theory.

"One way or another. I told her that she couldn't just pop up at my house like that. I actually repeated what I told her two days ago," he explained, thankfully taking the bottle of water Dean was offering him. "That didn't stop her from texting me that she still wants to meet again, to talk about everything."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them now, neither one of them knowing what to say. There was nothing they could tell him anyways. The sooner he told Karo, the better. In this case he would avoid risking that Cassie would tell her. Karo deserved to be told by him, not his concubine.

"You shouldn't have fucked that girl to begin with, Roman," Dean concluded, leaning back in his armchair to get more comfortable. He was seriously thinking about getting them a few bottles of beer. They definitely needed to get shitfaced.

"Fuck what girl?" someone said out of nowhere, making the three of them jump out of their skin in shock.

They all turned around at the same time, the color draining from their faces when they spotted Shannon leaning against the doorframe, her arms folded across her chest.

"What? Uhm…huh? Nobody said anything about fucking a girl. I don't know what you're talking about," Dean laughed nervously, not liking the way she looked at him intently, as if she was able to see right through him. "What are you even doing here? I thought you were in the gym."

"I forgot my shoes," she answered curtly, now directing her attention towards Roman. "You're fucking another girl, Ro? Interesting."

Without waiting for him to reply, she made her way over to the dark-haired man sitting on her couch, the insecurity that was reflecting in his eyes giving it all away.

"Is that true?" she asked when he remained silent, ignoring Dean who was trying to stop her from butting in. As far as she was concerned, she wasn't butting in. This was about Karolina. Her sister from another mister. "Are you cheating on your wife, Roman?"

Roman couldn't believe that this was happening. He looked from Seth who only shrugged his shoulders to Dean who shook his head apologetically, both of them not saying a word. There was nothing they could do to help him now anyways.

"I'm sorry," he once again apologized to a person he didn't even need to apologize to. He just couldn't help it.

Shannon scoffed disdainfully, looking at him in disgust. She had a hard time fathoming what she just learned. She was hurt and angered all at the same time and didn't know how to react to the news.

"You're sorry?" she asked, her voice still calm but full of aversion. "You're fucking sorry?"

Never had Roman felt so utterly worthless than he did now. Shannon had a way of making others feel like a piece of shit whenever they fucked up. It was Roman's turn now.

"I regret doing it, ok? I'm beating myself up because of this whole thing. But I can't undo it. It happened. And I have to live with the consequences. Don't give me shit now, Shan. I'm dealing with it, alright?" he snapped at her, not letting her talk to him like that.

"You're dealing with it? Are you? So, tell me Roman, does Karo know?" she provoked him, looking him dead in the eye. "Or are you being a coward?"

"Shannon…" Dean warned, letting out a heavy sigh. "Let it go."

"Shut up. You two are to blame just as much for knowing about it and not telling anyone," she shouted at Dean and Seth, not believing they were sticking to Roman despite his betrayal. "I can't believe you. This makes me sick to my stomach."

"Calm the fuck down," Seth intervened, surprising both Roman and Dean with his outburst. "He's going to tell Karolina. This doesn't even fucking concern you. So take a fucking seat."

Shannon looked at Seth angrily, not believing he told her off like that. But she didn't even want to fight with him. Nor did she want to fight with Dean. This was about Roman. And even if she was crossing a line, barging in his business, she honestly didn't care.

"You know what? You're a no good cheating son of a bitch," she said through gritted teeth, stopping him before he could say another word. "I'm giving you 24 hours now, Reigns."

"Until…?" he asked curiously, his tone still harsh. He was having none of her shit today.

"If you don't tell Karolina by then, I'll do it," she threatened before eventually turning around and making her way up the stairs. She needed to get away from them, especially from Roman.

She was so close to slapping the taste out of his mouth, she really was.

 **…**

Now wasn't a good time to tell her. It definitely wasn't. It never was. But Roman was forced to do it now. Not only did Seth and Dean know, not only did Cassie show up at his house, encountering his wife and children, no, now Shannon knew as well. And she had threatened to tell Karolina if he didn't do it himself.

Of course he could wait until his 24 hours were up. Hell, he could also simply ignore her threat and let her do it after all. At least he would be put out of the misery about telling Karolina himself. But he needed to man up now. He needed to make things right. If that was even possible, under these circumstances.

It hurt so much though. So fucking much.

"Hey…you're back home just in time to tell the kids goodnight," Karo said with a smile, shooing her kids up the stairs to go brush their teeth. It was past bedtime already.

"I'm sorry I'm late. We lost sense of time when Dean started talking about his indie days," Roman lied, accepting Karo's kiss before taking off his shoes. Maybe he should have kept them on after all.

Just the thought of telling her the truth killed him. It made his heart break inside of his chest, into a million pieces. She looked at him so happily, so lovingly. He knew they had fought a lot recently, especially when it came to Leni and her behaviour. But he knew that she loved him with all her heart, unconditionally. How could he betray her like that? Why did he even get involved with another woman? He was clueless.

"It's okay. No worries. Leni was just asking for you," Karo replied, caressing his hairy cheek. "You need to shave, baby. You know I love you like that but Hunter is going to kick your ass. The fangirls love you all clean and shaved."

He couldn't help but chuckle, loving how his wife has been so supportive throughout his career, even though all these fangirls kept throwing themselves at him over and over again. She always told him that she trusted him, that she wasn't worrying about him 'indulging'. She was so wrong though.

"I don't care about the fangirls as long as you love me the way I am," he retorted, wrapping his arms around her midsection gently.

He didn't know why he was doing it but he just needed her close to him. He wanted to feel her heart beat against his chest, wanted to smell the scent of her hair, the way she would snuggle into him. He wanted to memorize everything about her. He felt as if he already knew that he would lose her soon. He would lose her the very moment he told her the truth.

"You know I do, baby," she immediately replied, once again pecking his lips. "I would love you more if you brought your kids to bed."

She giggled when he huffed, gently getting out of his grip before scurrying into the kitchen, needing to clean it up before she could call it a night with her husband. She just didn't know it would be a night full of tears and broken hearts. He wished he could spare her from it all.

Putting his kids to bed that night felt different as well. Leni was unusually cuddly, not wanting to let him go and asking him for yet another bedtime story. But maybe he was just seeing things. Maybe he was just hypersensitive today. Siaki on the other hand didn't want Roman to read a bedtime story to him. He told his daddy about nursery school, about all the new things he had learned. It hurt him to realize how much he was missing while he was on the road. One of the most important things in life was to watch your children grow up. Unfortunately he wasn't able to do that half of the time. It was a sad reality.

"Good night, daddy. I love you," Leni said before finally closing her eyes, yawning heartily.

"I love you too, princess. Sleep well and sweet dreams," he said, kissing her forehead softly. He loved this little girl and his beautiful son more than life itself. He was still thinking about Joshua every day, wishing that he was with them. That wound would never heal, he was sure of that. Even after all these years.

He once again peeked through the crack in the door, checking if Siaki was still asleep. He couldn't help but chuckle when he heard his son snore loudly. He was just like him. It made his chest swell with pride.

He wanted to make his way downstairs, stopping dead in his tracks when he reached the top stair. He needed to take a deep breath. How was he supposed to tell her now? He knew he shouldn't beat around the bush. He should be straight forward and just tell her. But he knew she wouldn't listen to another word he was saying afterwards. This was such a mess. A mess he had created himself.

He licked his suddenly very dry lips before eventually taking the stairs, one by one, very slowly. It was as if he was trying to play for time. It was incredible stupid, he knew it.

He watched her put some plates into the dishwasher, the way her shorts hugged her legs and ass making his mouth water. He loved this woman. He loved every inch of her, no matter how self-critical she was about herself. But he had to concentrate on more important things. It wasn't the time to ogle her, to think about her in _that_ way. No, he was about to break her heart now. As much as it would hurt him.

She turned around when she felt his presence, smiling up at him when she caught him staring at her. She wanted to make an insinuating remark when she noticed that he had tensed up, immediately stopping her from doing so.

"Karolina," he said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. "We need to talk."


	9. Her world is falling apart

**_I would like to thank reignsbabee, lourdes1694, Ctinaisfashion (twice ;-)), Lilygirl95, fenner82, Alexis Black-Reigns, NicolexxBee, StoryLover82, Shannon5288, Solosunni, insky5967, shamonticupcake, benova13, Micah, Adel, Samantha, Designer86, SPARKELS77, Insane Cali Gurl, lauraxxx, WickedRedRose22 and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter. Special thanks to lauraxxx for reading all chapters in what feels like under an hour and reviewing every chapter as well. I appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to read my story and leaving your feedback. You really have no idea what it means to me. THANK YOU! _**

**_What else is there left to say but…are you ready?_**

 ** _Please enjoy & review :)_**

...

 **Chapter 9: Her world is falling apart**

Karolina looked at Roman confused, his insecure and nervous demeanour not going unnoticed. Why was he so serious all of a sudden? Why was he so tense?

"Uhm…okay. What's the matter?" she asked anxiously, shutting the dishwasher before standing up straight. "Is it because of Leni? I really think she's trying to improve. I know it's difficult but…"

"It's not because of Leni," he immediately said, interrupting her. He looked around nervously, not sure how to act. "Let's go to the living room, shall we?"

Karo just nodded her head, following him wordlessly when he led the way. Something had changed. He was different now. She didn't know what happened when he was over at Dean's house but she was extremely worried.

"Sit down please," he said softly, pointing to the armchair while sitting down on the couch next to it. It was as if he wanted to give her some space before he even told her the truth.

"Roman, what's wrong? Something's up, I just...I can feel it," she stated impatiently, folding her hands in her lap, looking at him expectantly. "Did something happen at work? Are you in trouble?"

She still remembered Seth telling her about Vince McMahon calling out Roman on his lack of performance in the ring and that was the first thing that came to her mind when she looked at him now. He looked so tired, so exhausted. Even fearful. She hoped he hadn't been given a warning or anything like that. She knew it would hurt his male pride. That was just who he was.

"Karo, I…I don't even know how to start," he said, letting out a heavy breath.

He looked at her as if he was expecting her to say something. As if he didn't know what to do. But she remained silent, waiting for him to continue. She was confused. Confused by his behaviour, by his nervousness. It scared her.

"I...well…I have to make a confession," he started, his voice shaky. He ran a hand over his tired face before focusing on her again. "Please let me finish before you say anything because I re…"

"Just tell me, Roman! For God's sake…," she stopped him mid-sentence, her impatience eventually getting to her now. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath. She needed to calm down before she would lose her temper completely.

Roman looked at her dumbfounded, not having expected her to be so on edge. She probably knew that something was terribly wrong. Otherwise she wouldn't have reacted that way.

It was now or never. He had to tell her now. There was no turning back anymore. He knew his life would change completely now. All of their lives would. He hated himself so much for doing this. He prayed to God that one day he would be forgiven for all the wrongs he had done.

"I was unfaithful to you, Karolina. I slept with another woman," he said meekly, his voice so quiet that it almost came out as a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Karo looked at Roman disbelievingly, not sure she had heard him correctly. Did he really just say what she thought he did? She looked deep into his eyes, searching for answers. He was teary-eyed, his whole demeanour radiating insecurity and anxiety.

"What?" was the only thing that came to her mind, as if she needed a confirmation that she didn't misunderstand.

Roman swallowed hard, not wanting to repeat himself. Did she really want him to say it again? Did she really want to hear it all over again?

"I love you, Karolina. I'm really sorry. I didn't want to d…" he started to say but she cut him off immediately, not wanting him to explain anything now. She needed the facts first. She needed to get things straight.

"You cheated on me?" she asked puzzled, not being able to fathom what he was trying to tell her.

It was breaking Roman's heart to see her like that. He could see and feel how she was trying to process his words, her body tensed up and her breathing shallow. It seemed as if she was in a state of shock.

"I'm so incredibly sorry," he could only say, once again, not sure what else he was supposed to do. He was at a loss of words himself.

It sounded so banal to just say sorry. It felt and sounded as if he had forgotten to take out the trash when in reality he had ripped her heart out of her chest and stomped on it several times. Over and over again.

He kept looking at her, trying to read her face. The moment she avoided eye contact was the moment he knew she finally understood. He expected her to lash out at him, to cuss him out or even run away.

But she remained silent, just staring at her hands that were still folded in her lap. The love of her life, her husband, and the father of her children…he had cheated on her. He had slept with another woman, betraying her and their family. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to. Why was this happening? Why her? Why them? What did she do to deserve this?

"Babygirl…please…say something…anything," he pleaded, trying to take one of her hands into his, but she quickly snapped it away, not wanting him to touch her. Not after what he had just told her.

"What do you even expect me to say now, Roman?" she asked incredulously, her voice cracking.

The problem was that he didn't even know what he expected her to say. It was obvious that he couldn't and wouldn't expect her to forgive him just like that. She definitely wouldn't say that it was okay, that they would work it out. It wasn't that easy. It would take time. A lot of time. But he was willing to make it up to her.

"I didn't do it because I didn't love you anymore," he started to explain, thinking that she deserved to know about his reasons. Although those so-called reasons were not justifying anything. They were ridiculous, so much was clear. He knew that very well. "I did it because I was a coward. Because I was trying to take the easy way out. You have been nothing but amazing, Karolina. All these years, you have been my rock. You've been everything I wanted and needed in my life. You still are."

He swallowed hard when a sob escaped her lips, tears streaming down her face. He wished he could take away the pain. He wished he could turn back time. This hurt so much.

"Work exhausted me. I had too much on my plate. I came home and the drama started all over again. The worst thing is that...that it's not even your fault. It's not your fault that Leni is acting the way she is, it's not your fault that Siaki keeps getting sick all the time. But it's you that is getting hurt now and I don't even know how to make this up to you."

The tears continued to stream down her face, the sobs shaking her whole body. He wanted to wrap his arms around her. He wanted to comfort her and tell her that it was going to be fine. But he couldn't. No, he shouldn't.

"I met this woman at a bar. I've known her since high school. I was such a fool for calling her when she gave me her number. I don't even know why I did it. I didn't plan on doing this. It has never been my intention," he continued, surprised that she was still listening. Why was he even telling her all that? He was such a sorry excuse of a man. "I want to spare you the details. I don't want to hurt you any further. We…we ended up having sex. I regretted it immediately…I regretted it all these times."

While Karo had still hope that he was talking about a one night stand, that hope was quickly taken away from her when he more or less confirmed to her that it happened more than just once. He was having an affair. It was the worst thing that could have ever happened to her.

"I don't even want to know why. I don't want to know that you regret it, that it wasn't my fault. Don't tell me you love me when you've cheated on me all these times," she said quietly, still not looking at him. "There is no excuse for this, Roman. There never will be one."

"Karo…," he started, immediately noticing the change in her behaviour. She was still crying, the tears not stopping to fill her eyes, but she was becoming angry with him now. Rightly so.

"We've been through thick and thin. I've always been by your side. I have always supported you. And this is how you thank me? You go and fuck another woman while I'm taking care of your children?" she wondered aloud, her voice now loud and clear. "And you wanna tell me it was because you were exhausted? Stressed out? Are you fucking kidding me?"

What Karo was feeling now was a mixture of sadness, anger and hurt. She was so mad at him for doing this to her, to their kids. She was hurt and sad that he would betray her like that. For her this was the ultimate betrayal.

"Please let me explain," he begged, also standing up now that she did, not wanting her to run away from their conversation.

"I don't want to hear a fucking explanation. You'll never be able to explain why you had sex with another woman. I've never given you any reason to do this. You…god…you still had sex with me all this time. How…ugh…how could you even? You're a disgusting piece of shit…I…leave me alone…go away," she screamed, a fresh wave of tears streaming down her face now.

She tried to get away from him, not wanting him so close to her. She was so hurt, so incredibly hurt. Her heart was heavy in her chest, she felt sick to her stomach. Her whole world was falling apart. She felt so empty, so lifeless. It was as if someone stabbed a knife into her chest, her heart, over and over again.

"Karo…calm down…let's talk about this," he tried to soothe her, not wanting their kids to hear any of this. "I know this cannot be explained. There is no justification, no explanation for this. But please…I want you to know that I ended things with her because I realized how much I love you, how much you mean to me. I want you and nobody else. This…"

"Shut up!" she screamed, wrapping her own arms around her midsection as if she wanted to protect herself. "I don't want to hear any of this. Just stop. Go! GO AWAY!"

Her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks puffy. Her whole body was shaking, the hard crying making it difficult for her to breathe properly. Roman was beyond worried. He wanted to hold her in his arms, calm her down. But he knew she wouldn't want him to touch her. And he couldn't even blame her for feeling this way.

She wanted him to go. She didn't want to see him anymore. It killed him. It really killed him deep inside. But it was his fault and his fault alone. He had fucked it all up. And now he had to live with the consequences. He had lost her. He had lost his family. His fears had been confirmed.

"I love you, Karolina. I will always love you. Leni, Siaki and you…you guys are my life," he said sincerely, sighing heavily when she broke down in front of him, on her knees on the floor now. "I'll make this up to you. Even if it's the last thing that I will do. I'm gonna fight for you. And nobody's gonna stop me from doing so."

He slowly took a few steps back, grabbing his wallet and keys from the cupboard, pushing the items into his jeans pockets. To hear her cry and sob like that, it tore him apart. He had never seen her like that before. Not even when Joshua had been taken away from them. And he was the only one to blame for this. Nobody else but him.

"I'm going to stay in a hotel tonight. I'll give you some space," he continued, his eyes full of tears but he suppressed them, having no right to cry in front of her. "I know it's a lot to ask of you now, but I hope that you'll give me a chance to fully explain myself one day. I…just…fuck."

He had so much more to say. But seeing his wife kneeling on the ground like a picture of misery told him that he needed to let it go for now. She had to process this now. She had to fathom what just happened. And he would definitely give her that much needed time. He could only hope that she would call him, telling him to come over and work this out together. Preferably the next day already. But he shouldn't be concerned about this right now. He needed to leave. He needed to respect her wishes. As difficult as it was for him to do that, seeing her in this state.

"Goodbye Karolina," he simply said, flinching when she came apart at the seams. He wanted to stay with her, he couldn't leave her alone. Not like this.

But he had to go now. He needed to give her time to get her head around this.

All he could do now was to hope and pray that she would be able to forgive him one day. But right now he was not that optimistic about it.

He was hopeless.

 **…**

"Hurry up, Siaki. We need to go faster. It's getting dark," Leni urged her brother, having his tiny hand in hers, pulling him along so that he would match her speed.

Siaki was rubbing his eyes with his free hand, yawning heartily. His sister had just woken him up from a deep slumber and he was still in the state of doze.

"I want to go back to bed," the little boy mumbled, almost tripping over a stone on the ground.

Leni didn't answer anymore, already seeing their destination in a near distance. She was worried, her little heart beating fast in her chest. She needed help, not able to handle this situation on her own. She was incredibly scared.

She knocked on the front door several times, patting her little brother's head lovingly. She knew he was tired but she didn't want to leave him at their home by himself when everything was so loud and she didn't know what was going on.

"Leni, Siaki, what are you two doing here?" Seth asked concerned the very moment he opened the door, almost yelping when Leni threw herself at him in desperation.

"Uncle Sethie," she said, immediately feeling comforted when he picked her up, hugging her tightly. "Mommy and Daddy…they are fighting…"

Now it wasn't uncommon for Leni and Siaki that their parents were fighting, but the little girl had quickly realized that this fight was different compared to the others. She had never heard her mother scream and cry as loud as she did now. And she didn't know how to handle this situation.

Seth didn't even need for her to explain any further, already knowing what must have happened: Roman had told Karo. And now all hell was breaking loose.

"Come on…let's go inside," Seth whispered, letting Leni wrap her arms around his neck while he took Siaki's little hand into his, leading them both into the living room.

Maxine looked at the three of them surprised when they entered the room, immediately switching off the TV. The movie had to wait now. This looked quite serious. Thankfully Joan and Hayley were already fast asleep.

"What's wrong? Where are Roman and Karolina?" Maxine instantly asked, picking up Siaki to give him a little comfort as he seemed to be distraught.

Seth swallowed hard, feeling horrible for not telling Maxine what he knew all along. But he had promised Roman not to say a word to anyone. He had already spilled the beans to Dean but in his opinion that was a different story.

"Hey…how about you go and get some chocolate in the kitchen? You know where to find it, right?" Seth asked the two kids, smiling to himself when Leni eagerly nodded her head. He didn't need them to be around when he told Maxine that their father had been with a woman other than their mother.

Maxine looked at her husband expectantly, feeling that he knew something that she didn't. And she was beyond curious now.

"Please don't be mad at me for keeping a secret from you but I really had to. If I promise something, I keep it," he immediately defended himself, although he was sure he didn't even have to. "But Roman…he cheated on Karo."

Maxi gasped in shock about the news, never having expected anything like that. Roman? Of all people?

"Oh my god, you can't be serious," she said, covering her mouth with her hand in shock. "When did this happen?"

Seth didn't have much time before the kids would be back. He would tell Maxine about everything in detail later, not wanting the Reigns children to hear any of this. Even if they wouldn't understand anything about it. They were still too small to comprehend this kind of thing. Thankfully.

"He was having an affair. It lasted for a couple of months. Dean and I just learned about it last week. I guess he just told her. That might be the reason why they're fighting now," he mused, running a hand through his long two-toned hair.

"Do you wanna go check on Karo?" Maxine asked concerned, surprised when he shook his head no.

"I'll call Dean and ask him to do it. Leni decided to come here to be with us, so I guess she needs us," he replied, replacing his frown with a fake smile when the kids re-entered the living room. "Ohh, I see you found some yummy chocolate."

Maxine couldn't help but smile when she watched Siaki and Leni stuff their mouths with the candy, chocolate all over their faces. Her heart broke for them when she thought about their future, about how things between Karo and Roman would go down from now on. She had no idea how serious the situation was, but she was sure that Karo wouldn't and couldn't forgive him so easily. And that at the same time would be very difficult for their children as well.

"Hey…how about we watch a movie? We could have a sleepover party. Does that sound good?" Maxine asked the kids, chuckling when Siaki immediately jumped up and down in joy, clapping his chocolate covered hands together. Leni on the other hand was not so enthusiastic.

"What about mommy and daddy?" she asked, nobody in particular, her voice laced with worry. She was the only one having heard her parents fight with each other like that. She wouldn't forget about this so easily.

"Uncle Seth will call them now, ok? He will tell them that you two are over here," she soothed the little girl, caressing her cheek. "He's also gonna ask them if they're okay. Don't worry, sweetheart. It's gonna be alright. I'm sure of that."

Leni nodded her head in understanding, now hugging her auntie's leg, surprising Maxine with the sudden movement. Normally the dark-haired girl was all over Seth, but this right there showed her how serious the situation was for the little girl and her brother.

"Thanks Auntie Maxine," she whispered, even kissing Maxine's thigh to prove her point.

Seth felt so helpless in that very moment. He had always worried about how Karo would feel whenever Roman told her. He totally forgot about Leni and Siaki. This must be a nightmare for them. They didn't even know what was going on with their parents, only thinking they were having a huge fight. They had no idea that their whole lives were about to change and it really broke his heart.

He really hoped that things would work out for Roman and Karolina. Not only for them as a couple, but for their children as well.

This was such a mess.

 **…**

Dean was sitting on his couch when his cell phone beeped, Shannon's head placed in his lap, both of them watching a movie on TV.

Dylan was already in dreamland, giving his parents some time to finally relax after the long and challenging day they had. They'd had an extensive and intense discussion about what had transpired hours before as Dean felt that it was not her place to get involved in Roman and Karolina's business. They needed to do this on their own and Shannon had no right to give Roman such an ultimatum.

Of course she thought differently, but he stood his ground this time, not giving in. He wasn't okay with Roman's decisions, he would not support them. But he was still his best friend after all. And although he had fucked up, he would always have his buddy's back. No matter what. That was something Shannon naturally could not understand, seeing as this concerned _her_ best friend. It was understandable as they were both trying to stand by their respective best friend's side but they shouldn't have been biased in that kind of situation. Not this time.

Although they were not directly concerned, they all were one big family and it affected them all in the end.

"Who the fuck texts you this late? I'm so sick of you always being on that damn phone," Shannon snapped, not wanting to admit that she was worried that he would be cheating on her as well.

Dean didn't reply when he saw who the text message was coming from, knowing what was to come.

The text was from Roman.

 _*I finally told Karo. She's heartbroken. She just broke down in front of me and I'm really worried about her. Please go check on her and don't leave her alone. She asked me to go, so I respect her wishes. Dean, Seth, please take care of my love. She really means the world to me. Roman*_

Dean swallowed hard before letting out a heavy sigh. He knew Roman was a man of his word, having expected him to tell Karo before Shannon even had a chance to do so. He just didn't think he would tell her that fast. He didn't even want to imagine how Karo was feeling right now. She must be devastated.

"Go and wake up Dylan, sweet cheeks," he ordered, gently getting up so that she would not fall off of the couch. "Roman told Karo. She needs us now."


	10. Will things ever be the same again?

_**I would like to thank lauraxxx, fenner82, LetitReigns525, Kalea N Reigns, lourdes1694, reignsbabee, Ctinaisfashion, Micah, Shannon5288, , StoryLover82, piya, samantha, Beastielife, shamonticupcake, Insane Cali Gurl, Solosunni, Lilygirl95, bratzgirl, SPARKELS77, WickedRedRose22, Miss. Lori MacManus, Adel, benova13, RomanOMO and the guests for reviewing the last chapter.**_

 _ **He told her. He finally told her. But what's going to happen now? Well, we'll see. So, enjoy and review :)**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 10: Will things ever be the same again?**

After calling Seth and bringing Dylan over to his house, Shannon and Dean were now on their way to Karolina, not wanting her to be alone during this difficult time.

They knew it wouldn't make sense to bring Dylan along, not wanting the little boy to see how heartbroken and devastated his aunt was. It wouldn't help him, nor would it help Karolina. So that was out of question.

Thankfully they still had a key to Roman and Karo's house, knowing that she probably wouldn't even want to open the door in the state she was in. So they just took the freedom to enter the house without letting her know beforehand, not taking no for an answer should she decide she wanted to be alone when they all knew she definitely needed people around her. People that loved and supported her, no matter what.

"I think she's in the living room," Shannon whispered, listening closely to where the sobs and cries where coming from.

Dean just nodded his head, silently following his wife, stuffing the key into his jeans pocket, taking a deep breath.

He definitely had no idea what to expect, never having been able to imagine that Roman would and could do anything like that to Karo, but when he spotted her for the first time, seeing her on the floor of the living room, a picture of misery, he finally understood just how serious this situation really was.

"Oh my god...babe...," Shannon shrieked in shock, running over to her best friend, kneeling down next to her, her arms wrapping around her body almost instantly. "Karolina, sweetheart, calm down. Breathe...you need to breathe."

Dean just watched the scene in front of him in horror, never having seen Karo like this before. She might not have been the most self-confident and toughest woman he had ever met, but she had always been strong-willed and determined. Now she just looked miserable and at the end of her rope. It was a disturbing sight.

Shannon rocked Karo back and forth soothingly, trying to calm her down. She had trouble breathing, her whole body shaking with sobs. She looked extremely exhausted and shattered.

"He's an asshole. Such an asshole...," Shannon started, so mad at Roman for doing this to her best friend. "You deserve better than him. He's a worthless piece of shit."

Shannon's words made Karo cry even harder, having a reverse effect on her. Instead of calming her friend down, she made everything even worse.

"I'mma cut off his balls. He'll never be able to fuck that girl again. I'll make sure of that," she continued, kissing the top of her friend's head lovingly. "I'll ha..."

"Shan, stop, it's enough...," Dean interrupted, cutting her off abruptly.

As he had said several times before, he was not an expert when it came to human relations of any sorts, but it was obvious that his wife's words didn't have a calming effect on their common friend. Quite the contrary.

"What? It's true though. That son of a bitch really has to s...," she wanted to go on, looking at Dean in surprise when he once again gave her a sign to shut up.

She was mad at him for cutting her off like that, not understanding why he was doing it. She knew Karo better than he ever could, so she didn't accept that he would just shut her up like that.

"You'd better get going now," she said in a calm and quiet voice, hugging Karo even tighter. "I'll handle the situation on my own."

One thing Dean didn't need right now was her acting up. He didn't cut her off to hurt her, or to prove a point. He just had the feeling that Karo didn't need someone to tell her about Roman being an asshole. She probably was very well aware of that fact already.

"How about you go and get us some tea, sweet cheeks?" Dean more stated than asked, his voice laced with urgency while at the same time being composed.

Karo definitely didn't need for Shannon and Dean to fight in front of her over nothing when her own world was falling apart. It wouldn't be fair to her.

Shannon gave him a look that more or less screamed 'Are you fucking serious?', but she wouldn't argue with him now, wordlessly letting go of her best friend before getting up, leaving for the kitchen quickly.

She had no idea what he had up his sleeve, but she was determined to kick his ass should he sugar-coat what Roman had done. That was for sure.

Dean immediately took the place his wife had just occupied, wrapping an arm around Karo's shoulders gently. He wanted to give her some time to calm down, wanting to let her feel his presence. So he remained silent, just being there for her without firing questions and words at her.

He wasn't surprised that a few minutes later, she leaned into him, snuggling closer to him, wetting his shirt with her tears. But he wouldn't complain, not at all. She needed to let it all out, cry as many tears as necessary to finally feel better.

Shannon re-entered the living room, carrying a tray with three cups of tea, placing it on the wooden desk next to the couch. She looked at Dean, nodding her head. Seeing him with their best friend, she knew he would be the better choice to listen to her right now. He would try to be objective, not being biased the way Shannon would be. Maybe he would be able to comfort her.

She left the living room, giving Dean and Karo some time to themselves, hoping her husband would be able to help her friend, hating to see her in her current state. It really broke her heart to see her like that.

"Why?" Karo asked sniffling, her voice almost a whisper.

The question wasn't directed at anyone in particular. She didn't expect to get an answer because she knew there probably wasn't even one. She was just so hurt.

"There is no answer to that, princess," Dean replied, leaning back against the cupboard behind him, pulling her even closer. "There is no excuse, no justification. I wish I could tell you why. I wish I could take all your pain away."

Another sob escaped her lips, breaking Dean's heart into a million pieces.

He'd had his share of pleasure in the past, before meeting Shannon, where he used to sleep with women more often than changing his underwear. He had used them, getting rid of them as soon as he was done with them. Seeing Karo now, realizing how much it must hurt for a woman to be treated like that, it tore him apart.

"What have I done wrong? What did I do to deserve this?" she kept asking, now looking up at him, her eyes bloodshot. She looked so incredibly sad.

"This is not your fault, sweetheart. This has never been about you. Roman fucked up, big time. I know you've never given him any reason to do this. He admitted being a coward for taking the easy way out," he stated, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "I don't know what he's told you. I'm sure you didn't even want to listen to him, but...I...well, it doesn't make sense to...to have somebody else give you a release as some kind of distraction when you should work everything out with the person you love. Roman knew that. Yet, he chose the wrong path."

Dean offered her a tissue, caressing her hair softly while she blew her nose. He didn't want to defend Roman's actions and he hoped that Karo didn't misunderstand his intentions. He wanted to ease her pain, telling her that it wasn't her fault. That Roman was wrong when it came to the decisions he had taken.

"It hurts so much, Dean. I love him with all my heart. I've done everything in my power to make him happy. I know it's not always easy, especially with Leni. But...but how could he...do this?" she wondered, running a hand through her messy hair.

"I wish I knew. That doesn't sound like Roman at all," he agreed, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"How long have you known? Why haven't you told me?" she demanded, her voice laced with hurt.

Dean sighed heavily, running a hand over his tired face before groaning inwardly. He knew that she would ask this question, expecting that she wanted to know. He couldn't even blame her.

"Seth found out about a week ago and...," he started, stopping mid-sentence when she interrupted him.

"Seth knew and he didn't tell me?" she requested, even more hurt now. He was supposed to be her best friend and yet he wouldn't tell her?

"Please let me explain, princess," he pleaded, taking her free hand into his, her legs awkwardly looped with his. "Seth found out by accident. And Roman asked him not to tell anybody as he wanted to tell you himself. Of course the dumbass couldn't keep his mouth shut, so he told me. We urged Roman to tell you. He owed you that much. It wasn't our place to tell you. We didn't keep it from you to hurt you, but rather to protect you."

Karo nodded her head in understanding, comprehending where they were coming from. It still broke her heart to know that especially Seth knew, resenting him for lying to her face on a daily basis, even if he had no other choice.

"Do you know her? That girl he cheated on me with?" she dared to ask, finally calm enough so that the sobs were dying down.

"No," he quickly replied, his voice firm. "I don't know her. And I don't want to."

He wasn't sure if he hadn't met her by accident already, seeing as Roman, Seth and him had gone to the bar she was working at a couple of times before. But as always, he had been oblivious to other women hitting on them if he wasn't in the mood to flirt anyways.

"I would advise you not to go there and see her if I were you," he continued when she remained silent. "I know how you women can be. You need to get your head around this yourself. Comparing yourself to her would make things more difficult."

Karo just nodded her head, knowing that he was right. She was still curious. What did this girl have that she didn't? What was it about her that Roman went back to her over and over again?

"I would better check on the kids real quick," she said, trying to get up when Dean stopped her, shaking his head.

"They're not here," he replied as a matter of fact, smiling at her sympathetically when she looked at him confused.

"Of course they are. Roman...he...he put them to bed before...you know...," she stuttered, trying her best to suppress the tears that were once again filling her eyes.

He hated to do this to her, knowing that she would blame herself for this, but he needed to tell her that her children more or less ran away during their parents' fight.

"I talked to Seth. Leni and Siaki popped up at his door half an hour ago. Apparently Leni heard you guys fight and was afraid," he explained truthfully, wrapping his arms around her tightly with a sigh when she began crying all over again. "Stop crying. They're safe. It's all good."

"I'm such a horrible mother," she cried, her whole body shaking with sobs once again. "Oh god...my babies ran away..."

"They're with Seth. He literally lives two minutes away from here. It's ok. Nothing happened, babe," he soothed, rocking her back and forth.

He held her close, looking up when he felt another presence in the room, Shannon looking at them with tears in her eyes. He knew right then and there that this was going to be a long night. And they would definitely not leave Karo's side. She needed them now.

He would so kick Roman's ass for doing this to her...to them.

 **...**

Roman was lying on his hotel room bed, staring at the ceiling in silence, single tears streaming down his face. He knew that if Dean had been around, he would have told him to stop being such a whiny bastard. Big boys didn't cry.

But he did. He did because he had just lost the love of his life.

The picture of Karolina kneeling on the floor, her whole body shaking with sobs, endless tears streaming down her face…it would never leave his mind again. It was the most horrible thing he ever had to witness. And it was his fault. It was his fault that his wife was so heartbroken, that she broke down in front of him like that. He would never be able to forgive himself for what he had done. Even if she did one day, he never would.

Now everything was uncertain. Would she ever talk to him again? Would she listen to him explain himself? Did she even want to know? What about his kids? Was he allowed to see them? Would she allow him to spend time with them? He was their father, of course he had his rights. But he would not do anything without her consent.

He questioned his whole life, his whole existence. Why had he done this? Just why? He had vowed his faithfulness to Karo the day he married her. He had promised her he would never betray her, never cheat on her. He had been cheated on many years ago. It had hurt so bad that he ordered himself to never inflict such pain on anyone else. He still remembered how devastated he was when he learned about Seth and Karo. Nothing really happened between them, but he felt as if they had betrayed him as well. Now he was not better than his ex-girlfriend, not better than his best friend and wife, although they hadn't even taken that final step.

His family would be so disappointed in him. Not only his parents, but his sisters and brother as well. His mother hadn't raised him to be a cheater. She had raised him to respect women. To cherish them. He knew he would make her cry. He didn't want to let her down. But he already had. And that hurt even more.

He didn't even want to think about his father. He would definitely rip him a new one. And he deserved it. He deserved every nasty word, every insult, every hurtful thing Sika would come up with. And he would take it like a man, not even trying to find excuses. There was none. There never would be.

He was surprised when his phone rang, a picture of Seth popping up on his display. He picked up after the second ring, immediately worried that something was wrong with Karo. Something else besides the heartbreak and the humiliation she was feeling…

"Seth…hey…," he greeted, his voice so quiet that it came out as a whisper. He was nervous.

"Hey Ro …how are you doing?" Seth asked, although knowing that this was probably the dumbest question he could ever ask.

"Like a piece of shit," Roman said truthfully, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand, not wanting to cry while being on the phone with his friend. He would never hear the end of it.

"You should," Seth replied brutally honest, sighing when he heard his best friend swallow hard.

"I deserved that one," Roman whispered, sitting up straight now. "Why aren't you with Karo?"

"Because your kids are here," he said as a matter of fact, continuing when Roman remained silent. "They ran away when they heard you guys fight. Leni was afraid and woke up Siaki. They popped up at my door over an hour ago. "

"They ran away? And I…I didn't even notice?" he asked, his question more or less directed at himself. "Oh my God…I…I can't believe this happened. This is my fault. I should have told Karo without them being in the house. I…shit…God knows what could have happened to them."

"They're ok, nothing happened," Seth immediately retorted, not wanting to burden Roman with guilt even further. He was right though: it was a disaster that the kids just ran away, leaving the house all by themselves. "Dean and Shannon brought Dylan over before going to Karo's. They're with her now."

"Have you heard from them again?" he asked nervously, freeing his hair from the ponytail, running a shaky hand through them. "Is Karo ok?"

"I don't know. They haven't called yet. I would assume she feels like crap," he replied, laying it on the line. "Where are you staying?"

"Crowne Plaza," Roman answered unimpressed, not wanting to talk about himself. He wanted to know about Karo, about how she was doing.

"A hotel? Why aren't you staying with your parents?" he wondered, knowing that Roman was smart enough not to ask Seth and Dean if he could stay at their places, for Karo's sake. But he could have asked his parents to harbour him for a while.

Seth rolled his eyes when Roman sighed heavily, knowing what this was all about.

"They don't know. I haven't told them yet. My mom and dad will cut me out of their will when they find out," the Samoan admitted, massaging the bridge of his nose to get rid of an impending headache. "I need to sort things out first. I don't even know how things between me and Karo proceed from now on. If there still is a chance for us…at all."

Seth didn't know what to say to that. Nobody really knew what was about to happen. Would Karo eventually forgive Roman one day? Or have things ended for her the moment he had told her the truth? What about Leni and Siaki? Would Karo and Roman separate on bad terms? Would they be able to talk civilly with each other? So many questions, no answers. Not yet.

"Give her some space, Roman. She deserves that much. I'm sure that in a few days, she will have it all processed in her mind. And then you guys will find a solution," the two-toned man advised, hoping that it would calm his friend down a little.

Seth's words made Roman think hard. _And then you guys will find a solution_. What did this have to mean? What was he trying to tell him with that? It scared him. It really scared him just thinking about it. But he had to ask. He needed to know what Seth was really thinking. Even if the answer might break his heart even more.

"Seth," he started, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Do you…do you think she'll leave me? For good? Do…do you think…she's done with me?"

Seth's breath hitched in his throat, his heart beating fast in his chest. What was he supposed to say now? He didn't know. He really didn't. He could only speculate and make assumptions. But would that help Roman? He wasn't sure.

"I honestly don't know, Ro. I think she would definitely dump you if it was just the two of you. But you guys have children. And she knows that Leni and Siaki need you in their lives. It's…it's gonna take her a long time to forgive you. If she will at all. But I'm hopeful that she does in the end. She really loves you, man. That's why it hurts her even more. But maybe these strong feelings she has for you will save your ass," he responded, turning his attention towards the door when he heard noises.

"Uncle Sethie, can we order some pizza?" Leni asked with hope shining in her big blue eyes. He smiled to himself when he spotted Dylan, Joan, Hayley and Siaki trying to hide behind her. "Auntie Maxine said we should ask you."

"Is that my daughter?" Roman asked, involuntarily holding his breath. It had only been about an hour but he already missed his kids.

"Don't tell me you've woken up Joan and Hayley just for that," Seth directed at Leni, for the moment ignoring Roman's question. Leni didn't need to know he was talking to her dad.

Leni looked at him sheepishly, batting her eyelashes. She was such a prima donna sometimes. And it worked. It always worked.

"Go ahead. Order a family-sized pizza," he said, chuckling when the kids high-fived each other happily. "For me alone. I'm sooo hungry."

Roman smiled sadly when Seth talked to the kids in a deep voice, acting as if he was a hungry bear. He wished he was there. He wanted to spend the evening with his friends and his kids. Especially with his wife. Who knew if he would ever be able to do that again…?

The kids ran away giggling, not really caring what Seth said as the only thing they needed to know was that they were allowed to order pizza. They knew that Maxine would do the rest. They were happy for now.

"Needless to say that this was indeed your daughter, right?" he asked, chuckling to himself. "She's always hungry, just like you. Thank God she doesn't run to fat though. As much chocolate as she is eating, she would weigh more than a fucking elephant."

"God, I miss them already. That sounds absolutely ridiculous right now but…but it feels as if I'm not gonna see them for a long time. It fucking hurts," he admitted, swallowing hard. He kept telling himself not to cry again. He had no right to shed any tears when it was his fault that he was in the situation he was currently in.

"You will see them again, Roman. Don't worry about it. Karo would never do this at the expense of the kids. They have first priority for her, and for you as well. I know that. So I trust that you guys find a way to work this out," he replied, taking away Roman's fear. At least for now. "Look dude, I've gotta go now. Do me just one favour please…"

"What?" Roman asked curiously, not even wanting to hang up. It felt good to talk to Seth. Even if his best friend gave him a piece of his mind.

"Don't contact Karo. She will come around whenever she feels ready to do so," he advised, getting up from the bed now. "Get some sleep, calm down. Don't worry about your children, I'm taking care of them."

"Thanks Seth. Thanks so much. You don't even know how much this means to me," the Samoan retorted, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He was so incredibly tired and exhausted.

"That's what friends are for," he replied, opening the bedroom door to go back downstairs so that he could join his wife and the kids again. "Good night, Roman. I'll give you a call tomorrow."

And with that he hung up, not giving Roman a chance to say goodbye as well.

And now he was all alone again. Just him and his thoughts. His broken heart, his broken spirit. He had never felt more horrible than he did now.

He looked up at the ceiling again, doing one thing he hadn't done in years. He prayed to God, asking the big man up there to give him another chance. He wanted his wife back. He wanted to see his kids grow up. He wanted his old life back. No matter what it would take for him to do that.


	11. A shot down surprise

_**I would like to thank reignsbabee, Ctinaisfashion, insky5967, WickedRedRose22, fenner82, piya, Samantha, Micah, Miss. Lori MacManus, Shannon5288, StoryLover82, angelsdee327, Mnca, Kalea N Reigns, SPARKELS77, CheekyClaudine, lauraxxx and Solosunni for reviewing the last chapter.**_

 _ **Who would have thought that Dean, of all people, would be the voice of reason one day? :P**_

 _ **Thanks so much for your support! It makes me so incredibly happy.**_

 _ **Now enjoy & review the new chapter :)**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 11: A shot down surprise**

It was needless to say that Karolina didn't get any sleep that night. Neither did Shannon or Dean. They cried together, laughed together, cursed Roman together and talked about everything under the sun. That was exactly what she needed: People around her that would cheer her up, have her back and support her.

The heartache would not go away so quickly, she knew that. But the hurt was about to be replaced by anger, she could feel it deep inside already. There was so much sadness inside of her still. She kept asking herself 'why'. Why had he done it? Why didn't she notice? Why her? Why why why?

Even if Roman explained himself, she would question it all over again. There was no explanation for this. Nothing would ever justify his actions. Not stress, not exhaustion, not anything.

She didn't know where to go from here. She didn't want to talk to him, didn't want to look into his eyes. Eyes she fell in love with the moment she looked into them for the very first time all these years ago. She never knew that love could hurt so much.

She didn't understand how he was still able to tell her he loved her. How he was still able to sleep with her, to make love to her. She always thought that their sex life was fulfilled and satisfying. She never had the feeling that she wasn't enough for him, that he wanted more. She remembered him asking her to be more open-minded, to let loose and tell him about her fantasies. That was many years ago. She had opened up ever since, experimenting with him, trying out new things. Maybe she was wrong all along. Maybe that wasn't enough for him after all. Maybe _she_ wasn't enough for him.

"Stop thinking so hard," Dean interrupted her thoughts, offering her a hot cup of coffee. "That will give you wrinkles."

Karolina smiled up at him sadly, moving slightly so that he was able to sit beside her on the couch. Shannon was under the shower, trying to wake herself up a little with some cold water.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said when she remained silent, nudging her shoulder with his, a smirk on his face.

"You don't even want to know," she replied, sighing heavily while running a shaky hand through her messy hair. She definitely needed a shower herself.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know," he said sincerely, looking at her intently.

She knew that Dean was a very easy-going and laid-back guy, not having any issues talking about any sexual related matters. Quite the contrary. She still felt a little uncomfortable talking to him so openly about everything. She didn't feel the same way when it came to Seth though, knowing that she could fully trust him. Nothing was off limits with her best friend.

"I'm just asking myself if maybe I just wasn't enough for him," she simply said, taking a small sip of her coffee, not being able to look into his eyes. She didn't want him to see that she was once again fighting tears. She was so sick of her own crying that she didn't even want to imagine how Dean and Shannon were feeling about it.

"Not enough? What do you mean by that?" he asked, shifting slightly so that he was now facing her. "Care to explain?"

Karo closed her eyes for a brief moment, swallowing hard. She didn't want to cry. She felt so embarrassed talking about it. It felt as if she was revealing her biggest fears and secrets to him. Something she wasn't used to when it came to Dean.

"In the sense of…not being able to satisfy him," she admitted meekly, immediately breaking eye contact, wishing the ground would swallow her up right now.

"Sexually?" Dean asked, not even realizing how mortified she was about the topic of their conversation.

"Ugh Dean…," she groaned, pushing up her shirt to hide her face behind the thin material.

Despite the seriousness and importance of their conversation, Dean couldn't help but chuckle. He would never understand why she was so shy when it came to the topic 'sex'. He knew that she talked to Seth about the craziest things, yet she didn't have the guts to be so open with him.

"Listen to me now, princess," he stated softly, determined to tell her what he really knew, hoping that it would maybe help to take away her concerns. "You know, Roman is not a big talker when it comes to sex. He's a more or less silent connoisseur. But you know that men are bigger blabbermouths than any woman could ever be. So…I can only reassure you that this is definitely not the case. He seemed very satisfied and pleased at all times. I always hated him for telling me about tit-fucking you."

"DEAN," she yelped in shock, swatting his chest with her free hand. She couldn't believe he just said that.

"Hey…don't get touchy-feely with me now, woman," he warned, raising his hands in defence, smiling when he saw her giggling. That was the main goal that he had: to distract her. To make her forget about her current situation, if it was just for a few minutes.

"All joking aside now," he continued, all serious once again. "If he for a change talked to me or Seth about what's happening behind closed doors between you two, he was always gushing about how awesome things were. He never once said that he was bored or anything. So I'm sure it wasn't about you not being able to satisfy him sexually. I think that's something you both would have talked about."

"Apparently he didn't deem it necessary to talk to me when it came to his overall feeling that he was stressed out, not only by work but by coming home to us as well. So I'm not a hundred percent convinced that you're right," she retorted, anger now bubbling inside of her.

Dean looked at her intently, feeling the change in her behaviour. She was still sad and hurt, he could see it in her eyes, but her body language told him that she was becoming angry. And he couldn't even blame her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to cross a line," he said genuinely, taking her hand into his. "I just don't want you to overthink this. I can only repeat myself: this is not your fault. This is not about you. So stop finding reasons if there are none. Roman's been a dick, that's all I can say."

"I'm sticking to my statement by the way. I'mma cut off his balls," Shannon said out of nowhere, shrugging her shoulders innocently when Dean looked at her annoyed, shaking his head. "Are you ready to see your kids? Or do you still need some time to yourself?"

Karolina took a deep breath, swallowing hard. She felt guilty towards her children, not having heard them leave the house on their own. It was so selfish of her to break down like that when she had kids she needed to take care of. That couldn't happen again – either with or without Roman by her side. That really didn't matter. Her kids should always have first priority.

"What am I supposed to tell them? They're gonna ask questions," Karo stated desperately, setting her now empty cup on the wooden table in front of her. "They will ask for their daddy. They will ask about the fight. What…what should I tell them?"

"That depends on how you want to handle things, sweetheart," Shannon replied, sitting down on the armchair across from Dean and Karo. "I think you and Roman need to talk. About how you go from here…"

"I don't want to talk to him. I don't even know how things will progress from now on. All I know is that right now, I see no future for us. He fucking betrayed me. I'm not sure this is something I can forgive him for. I…I just…I don't know. I can't tell the kids the truth. I can't say 'Hey, listen, your daddy is a fucking cheater and we're gonna kick him out of the house'. It's more complicated than this. This is something that will change not only my life, but the lives of my kids as well. I don't want to, and I also can't make a decision now. I still need time. Time away from him as well. I'm not ready to deal with the consequences right now."

She couldn't help but break down crying again. This wasn't just about her anymore. This was about their future, hers and the one of her children. Being selfish wouldn't help anyone right now. Not in the situation they were in.

"Nobody expects you to come to a decision right now. You need to think things through, make sure for yourself what is best for you and your kids. I still think that you need to talk to Roman one day…it's inevitable. But first you need to know for yourself what YOU want. You need to ask yourself the question if you even want to give him another chance, if you see a future for the two of you. It's only understandable that you don't know right now, that you still need time. And you should take all the time you need. I'm not gonna tell you to keep your kids in mind, of course you should, but if you're not sure that you can trust Roman ever again, don't go back to him just to make your children happy. Because at the end of the day, that's not gonna work. Not for you and not for Leni and Siaki," Shannon advised, being brutally honest with her best friend.

Dean handed her a tissue, holding her close when sob after sob escaped her lips. The truth hurt, and unfortunately Karo had to suffer from it now. He rocked her back and forth gently, trying to calm her down.

"How about you tell them that Roman had to leave for work early this week? Tell them he had to do a 'Make a wish' appearance. You know that especially Leni thinks it's so cool that he does that to make others happy. She won't ask any other questions. Siaki won't either. That will give you more than a week to think…to maybe find a solution," Dean suggested, running a hand up and down her back soothingly.

Karo forced herself to calm down a little, letting Dean's words sink in. Maybe that was a good idea. She hated lying to her kids, but in this case she really had to. She couldn't burden her children with the idea of their parents splitting up. Not yet, not now.

Dean and Shannon both were right when they said she needed to talk to Roman. As much as it would hurt, she needed to face him and talk about their future. If that future was a common one? She wasn't sure yet.

 **…**

It was later that day that Dean and Shannon were finally back home again. They had picked up Dylan at Seth's place, telling him that Karo would get Siaki and Leni as soon as she had a shower, trusting her that she was indeed fine to be left alone for the moment.

"I don't know what Seth and Maxine did with Dylan, but I've never seen him fall asleep faster," Shannon said after entering the bedroom, piece by piece taking off her clothes. She was beyond tired and exhausted.

"Maxine had 6 kids to take care of. That must have been one crazy ride," Dean said, his eyes fixed on his cell phone.

"Six kids? And I thought I sucked at maths," Shannon replied sarcastically, slipping on her black nightgown.

"We both know Seth's one big giant kid himself. So yes, 6 kids," Dean answered with a chuckle, typing away on his phone, not even noticing the disappointed look his wife was giving him.

She laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, reminiscing about the day's events, sighing heavily. She had never seen Karo like that. It truly broke her heart to see her friend like this, not even wanting to imagine how horrible it must be to be betrayed like she had been. The way it hurt to hear your husband say he cheated on you must be incredibly devastating. She didn't even want to think about it.

She didn't even notice that tears were filling her eyes, a lump forming in her throat. Karo's marriage was on the line, her whole life was about to change. And there was nothing she could do about it. She only now realized how afraid she was. Afraid of something like that happening to her, afraid of being cheated on, of being left alone.

"Why are you crying, sweet cheeks?" Dean asked concerned, immediately putting away his cell phone, his heart heavy in his chest.

Shannon touched her face in confusion, astonished that single tears were indeed streaming down her face. She didn't even want to cry, she didn't even know why she started all of a sudden. It just happened.

"Babe? Hey, talk to me," he pleaded, bending over a little to be able to face her. He didn't even know how to act, not remembering the last time he had seen her cry.

A sob escaped her lips, shaking her whole body.

"I don't even know what's going on," she sniffled, letting him wipe away her tears with his thumb. "This whole situation…it's…I don't know…it scares me."

"The whole thing with Roman and Karo?" he asked, already suspecting that this must really bother her. More than she was willing to admit. His assumptions were confirmed when she nodded her head slowly. "But why?"

Shannon wasn't sure if the time was right to tell him about her concerns and fears. He must be just as exhausted and tired as she was, the last one and a half days taking its toll on them. But maybe it was time to be honest with him now. She was at the end of her rope.

"You…you would tell me if you weren't happy with me anymore, right? You would talk to me if you felt that things were going wrong, wouldn't you?" she asked sobbing, her voice so quiet that her words came out as a whisper.

Dean looked at her disbelievingly, not knowing where all of this was coming from. Why would she even ask him that?

"Shannon, baby, why would you even think about that?" he asked, concern laced in his voice.

He knew that she was shocked about Roman's behaviour and actions. Nobody would have thought that the Samoan could ever do something like this. So she naturally assumed the worst.

Many years ago, when she told Dean that she was pregnant with Dylan, he ran off. He accused her of wanting to pin a baby on him, even saying that he didn't believe it was his. He dumped her, there was no other way of saying it. Although he didn't even do it in the end, he had tried sleeping with other women. Each and every night he had picked up some random girl in a bar with the intention of having sex with her. That was still stuck in Shannon's mind. And so was their big fight when she caught him saying that he missed being a single man. All of this happened years ago, but she couldn't get it out of her head.

"For weeks you've been unusually busy with your phone. Whether it's during the day or even late at night. You go out of the room when it rings, you hide your phone from me when I'm looking over your shoulder to see why you're texting so much. Just tell me if you met another woman, Dean. Please tell me now…don't play around with my feelings any longer," she sobbed, not even meaning it in a reproachful way. She just wanted to know the truth.

Dean looked at her as if she had lost her mind, not even sure what to say. He always thought he was discreet when it came to the increasing use of his cell phone. He didn't want her to notice that he was using it more and more these last few weeks. It truly shocked him that she thought he was cheating on her all this time. But he couldn't really blame her. Not now that things between Roman and Karo were so messed up. She was afraid.

"Oh my God, babe," he sighed heavily, making her sit up with him. "Please look at me."

He cupped her face with one hand, brushing strands of hair out of her face to make her look into his eyes. His heart couldn't take much more than this. First Karolina, now Shannon. He could only take so much.

"Don't do this to me, Dean. I love you so much," she sobbed, closing her eyes tightly. She was overcome with emotion and she didn't even know how to handle it.

"Shannon, baby, I love you too. I would never do this to you. I haven't met another woman, I'm not unfaithful to you. I swear to high heaven. You need to believe me…you need to trust me," he almost begged, swallowing hard. He was shocked.

"But…but why are you…why are you doing this? Why are you on your phone so much? Why are you so mysterious about it?" she dared to ask, looking at him expectantly with insecurity and sadness shining in her eyes. "I don't understand."

Dean kissed her forehead softly, wrapping his arms around her gently to embrace her. His plan didn't work out. He had been so proud of himself for keeping everything a secret, for not spilling the beans when he had wanted to do so many times before.

Now he definitely felt obliged to tell her. His surprise was shot down. Of course he could still keep it a secret, not telling her a word about his plans. But he couldn't do that to her. The way she looked at him now, so anxiously and fearful, it told him that he needed to come clean with everything.

"I was planning a surprise for you," he admitted, smirking to himself when she gasped. "Nobody knew about it. Neither Maxine and Seth nor Karo and Roman. I didn't want anybody to shoot their mouth off about it, so I did it all on my own."

"What surprise?" she immediately asked, her eyes now big and full of expectation. What a turn of events.

"I…I wanted us to get away for a few days. Just the two of us. So, I was thinking about taking you to Paris. A romantic little vacation," he said, even blushing a little. "The dumbass that I am, it took me ages to have it all planned. I was constantly in touch with this travel agent dude. Man, that guy is one dedicated son of a bitch. He kept sending me timetables for the flights, hotel recommendations close to the Eiffel Tower. Ideas for day trips…all that stuff."

Shannon looked at Dean astonished, her mouth wide open in shock. Was she dreaming? Was her husband really trying to surprise her with a trip to Paris? The City of Love?

"Paris? Just the two of us? Dean…wow…I…I don't even know what to say," she stuttered, feeling incredibly stupid for making such a scene a few minutes ago. She was such a drama queen sometimes.

"Here…lemme show you all the messages that guy sent me. And all my replies," he said, leaning back to grab his cell phone, yelping when she stopped him in his movement.

"Don't. You don't have to," she retorted, pressing her lips onto his in a sudden kiss, taking away his breath. "I believe you."

"I wanna prove it to you. I don't want you to think that I'm seeing somebody else," he whispered against her lips, relieved that she seemingly believed him. He was still disappointed that he couldn't surprise her the way he had planned to do.

"Dean, no, it's okay. I just…wow…this is so amazing. I don't think we've ever been on a vacation together. To Europe of all places. This is just so cool," she gushed, smiling at him happily, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. "God, I feel like such an idiot. I'm so sorry for…for doubting your faithfulness."

"I let you get away with it this time, seeing as the current situation might have clouded your mind," he teased, tickling her sides. "I know that I'm the typical candidate for 'cheater of the month' but I really have changed."

"Dean, please stop. I didn't mean it that way. It's just…a few months ago it took you half an hour to write a stupid text message. And all of a sudden you're constantly typing away on your phone. I was confused. Then all this hiding…I…I'm so sorry," she whispered, hugging him so stormily that he fell over on the bed, landing on his back, making her giggle. "Paris…wow! This is going to be so amazing."

Dean looked up at her with a smile, just mesmerized by her beauty. Even with bloodshot eyes and puffy cheeks, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him. He felt horrible for making her feel the way he did, not suspecting that she was afraid that he would cheat on her. She was his rock, the love of his life and his soulmate. He would never risk losing her for any other woman because nobody would ever be able to compare to her.

"Will you at least act as if you're surprised when I give you the plane tickets during a romantic dinner at our kitchen table in two weeks? You need to cook though," he said, making her chuckle. "I want burgers."

"I will yelp and shriek and jump up and down in joy like you've never seen me do before," she offered, kissing his lips sweetly. "We'll order pizza and sit on the living room floor though."

"Sounds about right. We still need to find a babysitter for Dylan now. I was thinking about Roman and Karolina, but I think we should rather ask Maxine and Seth now," he said, running his hands up and down her back softly, making her shiver.

"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" she asked him, completely ignoring what he just said. She was convinced that they would easily find somebody to watch Dylan during their trip, even if they had to ask Patricia and Sika.

"Uhm…what? Hu song mi chen?" he now asked in his non-existent knowledge of Chinese, not having understood a word she was saying.

"Hmm, you wanna take me to France and don't speak the language?" she asked in a playful manner, kissing his jawline teasingly.

"Don't act as if you could speak it, sweet cheeks," he said, groaning when she rubbed her mound against his crotch. He liked where this was going.

"Well, at least I know how to ask you if you wanna have sex with me tonight," she answered, shrieking when he suddenly picked her up, throwing her onto her back before hovering over her body.

"God…I love you, woman," he panted, biting her bottom lip gently, smirking to himself when she moaned out loud. "You know I'm about to fuck you senseless. Now try to translate that, smartass."


	12. A decision has been made

**_I would like to thank Samantha, Solosunni, Micah, reignsbabee, Lilygirl95, Insane Cali Gurl, Shannon5288, SPARKELS77, benova13, Beastielife and lauraxxx for reviewing the last chapter. Also a big thank you to all the others who might have reviewed but Fanfiction. Net swallowed the reviews lol_**

 ** _Sorry for sending PMs to all of you but I seemed to have trouble with notifications and thought it was a general problem._**

 ** _Beastielife, no need to apologize for your English. Thanks a lot for reviewing in the first place :) English isn't my first language either but I think our English-speaking friends accept us the way we are :)_**

 ** _Enough blabla…I'm sorry :P_**

 ** _Enjoy and review the new chapter, my lovely readers!_**

 ** _..._**

 **Chapter 12: A decision has been made**

 _*I'm sure you want to see your kids. Pick them up from school & bring them home. We need to talk.*_

That was all it was. He had been waiting for more than a week to finally hear from her. He had been waiting for a call, a text message…anything really. And now all Roman received was the coldest text message Karolina had ever sent him. He was beyond disappointed.

He had expected her to curse him out, to tell him to go to hell and rot there. But these few words were so meaningless that it hurt him even more.

He was happy to see his kids again though, to hug them and kiss them. He would not say a word to them regarding the fight. He wasn't sure what his wife wanted to talk to him about. And he was certain she hadn't talked to their children about what was going on either. So he tried to be patient, just wanting to enjoy being with his kids after more than a week of being gone.

"DADDY," Leni yelled the very moment she spotted her father, tossing her backpack away carelessly so that she could run faster. "Daddy daddy daddy!"

His heart skipped a beat when she jumped into his arms with full force, wrapping her little arms around his massive neck, hugging him tightly.

No words could explain what he was feeling in this moment. It was a combination of happiness, sadness and guilt. And hurt. So much hurt.

"Princess…god…I missed you so much," he whispered into her ear, holding her close. He never wanted to let go of her again.

"I missed you too, daddy. Don't ever leave for work so early again," she mumbled, nuzzling her nose into his neck while running her hand through her daddy's ponytail. She had always loved playing with his hair.

It was Dean who had informed him about Karo telling the kids he had to leave for work early the week before. She had left the house when he showed up to pack a few of his belongings, not wanting to see him. He hated communicating with his wife via his friends but he let her get away with it for now, considering how much he had hurt her.

"Let's go pick up Siaki, shall we?" Roman asked, gently loosening the hug so that he could face her, smiling when she pecked his lips.

"He will be sooo happy," she said about her little brother, not even thinking about walking on her own, clinging to her father like a little monkey.

Roman wordlessly picked up her backpack from the ground, locking it into the car before making the short walk to the nursery school that was right next to Leni's kindergarten. It seemed that Karo hadn't told them about him picking them up which made the surprise for them even bigger.

"So, how was your week?" Roman asked, as nonchalantly as possible, trying to squeeze his daughter for some information about her mother's condition.

"It was okay. Siaki and I slept at Uncle Sethie's and Uncle Dean's for a few days. Mommy said she needed to take care of things," Leni replied as if it meant nothing, not even realizing how much her words hurt him. It was still funny how she referred to Dean's and Seth's place as _'Uncle Dean's'_ and _'Uncle Seth's'_ although the two were not even around when she and her brother had slept there.

He couldn't blame Karo for asking their friends to watch the kids for a while, understanding that she needed some time to herself. She probably didn't want them to see or hear her cry. He was grateful for his friends to help out during this difficult time. He knew he could never pay them back for this.

"Did you guys have fun? Have you been a good girl?" he wondered, opening the wide door to enter the nursery school, scanning the crowd of kids for his son but he was nowhere to be found.

"Of course, daddy. I'm _always_ a good girl," she answered with a sweet smile, giggling when her father shook his head with a chuckle. He knew she was lying.

Kids were running around everywhere, putting on their shoes, yelling for their parents. He had trouble not getting knocked over with his daughter on his arm. As crazy as this place seemed to be, he enjoyed being around so many kids. He just loved them.

"There he is, daddy," Leni stated, pointing to the far corner were Siaki was sitting at a miniature table, working on a puzzle, all by himself.

Roman couldn't help but smile. While Leni was a spitting image of himself, his son was one of his wife. Blond hair, bluish grey eyes and a slightly lighter skin tone. His tongue was stuck in between his lips, giving away that he was fully concentrated on what he was doing. His mom was exactly the same.

He was also the calm one among his kids. Leni was always hyper and restless while Siaki was quiet and relaxed. It was an exceptional combination but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"SIAKI," Leni roared, immediately getting her little brother's attention. She had never been one to be too discreet. It made Roman laugh.

Roman had never seen his son smile brighter. It once again made his heart beat a little faster in his chest. It felt as if he hadn't seen his kids in months when it had only been a little more than a week.

"Daddy," the little boy said in awe, immediately dropping the puzzle piece he was holding in his hand.

Roman put Leni down slowly, kneeling down so that he could embrace his son in a tight yet gentle hug, ruffling his short blond hair. It felt so good to have him back in his arms. He sometimes had a hard time knowing what the little boy was thinking, seeing as he was so shy and quiet. But having him so close to him now, he could feel that his son was happy to see him. And nothing would ever be able to compare to that.

"Hey little man, you alright?" he asked him, kissing his cheek softly before bumping his big fist against his small one, making him giggle.

"I missed you," he murmured, once again wrapping his arms around his father's neck.

Roman sighed heavily, swallowing hard when Leni joined them, all three of them sharing a group hug. Tears were filling his eyes, once again reminding him of how much he had fucked up. Who knew if he would ever be able to have these moments with them again? With them and his wife…

"I missed you too. Both of you," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

He held onto them for a little longer, just cherishing the moment to the fullest. He knew his kids regarded him as a hero. They were proud of him, always telling others about how cool their daddy was. It hurt so much to know how much he had betrayed them. He had not only cheated on Karo, no, he had also deceived his children. It was unforgivable.

"Hey…let's go and see how mommy is doing, alright? I bet she's already waiting for us," Roman said, taking a hand of each of his kids before telling the nurse that they were leaving.

He was anxious about seeing Karolina again. He had no idea about how she was going to act towards him, about what she wanted to talk about. He prayed to God that she wouldn't kick him out for good. That she was willing to work things out, even if it would take them years to do so.

 **…**

It was just 20 minutes later that Roman, Leni and Siaki arrived at the house. When Karo heard the car pull up, her heart was racing. It was the first time after the breakdown that she would see Roman again. And she was a nervous wreck. She didn't even know what to do, how to act. But one thing she was sure of: she would not cry in front of him. Not now, not again. Ever.

"Moooommy, guess what? Daddy picked us up," Leni yelled when she ran into the house, hugging her mother's legs tightly.

"Oh wow…now how awesome is that?" Karo more stated than asked, putting on a fake smile. She didn't want her children to notice just how nervous she was.

"Can we have pizza tonight?" Siaki asked out of nowhere, and the moment she turned to where his voice was coming from, she spotted Roman, her breath hitched in her throat.

There he was again. Her husband, the father of her children. The love of her life. And the hurt returned. The hurt, the sadness, the anger. It all bubbled up inside of her and she didn't even know how to handle it all. She wanted to cry. She really wanted to cry. But she couldn't. Not in front of him, not in front of her children. She needed to be strong, needed to stay focused.

"We'll see about that, munchkin. How about you two go upstairs to play with your toys for a while? Mommy and daddy need to talk about something," she said, smiling nervously when their kids nodded their heads without putting up a fight, as if they knew that they shouldn't bother their parents now.

Both Roman and Karo watched their children go up the stairs, Leni helping Siaki by taking his hand into hers and telling him to 'go slowly' so that he wouldn't fall. It was adorable.

When they were out of sight, Roman turned his attention back to Karo, noticing that she looked pale and worn out. She had lost weight, he could already tell. Even after just a week, she had suffered so much. He felt like a piece of shit.

"It feels good to be home," he said honestly, licking his bottom lip nervously.

His heart broke when she huffed mockingly, making her way into the kitchen wordlessly without looking back, knowing that he would follow her anyways.

"Coffee?" she asked when she felt his presence in the kitchen, her back still turned to him. She didn't want to look at him just yet.

"Yes please," he replied, hating the tension that was in the room.

He watched her move around in the kitchen, grabbing two cups, switching on the coffee machine. She looked as if she was functioning like a robot. There was no smile on her face, her body was tensed up. She felt uncomfortable with him in one room and that hurt him like nothing else ever had.

"So, you wanted to talk?" he more stated than asked, relieved that she was even able to sit down at the same table with him.

"I don't want to. I just think we have to," she replied as a matter of fact, taking a small sip of her coffee.

It was the way she acted towards him that told him that this would not be a pleasant conversation. It wasn't as if he had expected her to welcome him with open arms. But he had hoped that they could at least be civil with each other.

"Am I allowed to speak first? There are a couple of things that I need to get off of my chest," he started, taking a deep breath when she nodded her head, noticing how she still had trouble keeping eye contact. "First of all: I want you to know that from now on, I'm gonna be 100% honest with you. No more lies, no more secrets. I know I should have already done so all these months before, but I can't change the past anymore. As much as I would like to."

Karo took another sip of her coffee, nodding her head to let him know that she was listening.

"That woman…you know…she kept contacting me. Wanting to meet up again. I ended things with her before I even told you. And I haven't met her ever since. I don't want to see her again. Ever. Things are over, for good. I j…," he stopped abruptly when she finally looked up at him, her jawline tightened.

"Get to the point, Roman," she said through gritted teeth, not wanting to hear any of this.

He shouldn't have been surprised about her reaction, understanding that she didn't want to hear about 'the other woman'. He just wanted to prove his point, making sure she knew that he wasn't seeing her anymore. And that he never would be again.

"What I want to say is…that…that I want you back. That I know that I've fucked up, big time. I don't think it makes sense for me to explain to you why I did it. We both know there's no explanation for this. I need to stop finding excuses for what I've done to you. So I won't even start with that crap. I just want you to know how sincerely sorry I am. I want you to know that I love you. Only you. I know this sounds pathetic coming out of my mouth, but I really mean it. I wish I could turn back time, but I can't. Trust me when I say that I would undo it all. All I want to know now is how you feel. What are your thoughts? Is there a future for us? What are your plans?" he asked, his heart heavy in his chest. He wasn't even sure he really wanted to know.

Karolina set her cup on the table in front of her, hugging her knee as she had propped one leg up on the chair in front of her. She ran a shaky hand through her long, blond hair before taking a very deep breath. It was hard for her to retain her composure when all she wanted to do was to scream and yell and cry. But she had vowed to herself not to break down in front of him ever again. Especially not with her children around.

"I think you should find a place close-by, so that you can see the kids whenever you're home on your days off," she said coldly, not even caring that she broke his heart into a million pieces with her words. "I think it would be good for you to be around. They need you."

"And you think it's a good idea for me to move out?" he asked, his voice full of hurt.

"I just don't think it's a good idea for you to stay _here_ ," she retorted, now looking him straight in the eyes. "You can pick them up from kindergarten on Wednesdays. And depending on how big your apartment is, you might as well keep them overnight. That's up to you."

"I don't think I'm going to look for a big apartment. I don't plan on staying there for too long," he said, trying to sound confident but he failed miserably. "I want to stay here with you guys again one day. Rather sooner than later."

Karolina just huffed, shaking her head in annoyance. Who the hell did he think he was?

"Before we can even think about discussing our relationship, a lot of time needs to go by," she stated distantly, not letting him distract her with his words. "So, as I said: you can pick them up, keep them overnight. I don't care. I won't keep them from you. I want you to spend time with them. Our kids shouldn't suffer from our issues, from our problems. I don't want them to be involved in this. They need to be our first priority, Roman."

Roman didn't even know what to say. He knew she was right. He shared her opinion. He just didn't think she would give up on them so easily.

"Is there even a future for us? At all?" he asked once again, looking deep into her eyes. He could already feel that she didn't want to talk about their future, if there even was one. She was all about business today.

"Roman…please…," she sighed, rubbing her temples. She needed to get rid of the impending headache immediately.

"Please what? I love you, ok? I fucking love you. What do you want me to do? What do you _need_ me to do? Just say it and I'll do it. I keep apologizing, over and over again. And I…," he almost yelled, trying to keep his voice down as much as possible. His kids didn't need to hear any of this. He also had no right to shout at her. He was the one who had fucked everything up, not her.

"You should have thought about that before you plunged your dick into that hoe's pussy," she said through gritted teeth, her eyes full of hatred. He had never seen her look at him like that before. He was at a loss of words.

 _Don't cry, Karolina. Just don't cry_ , she thought to herself, taking a deep breath.

"You're going to tell your parents about what's going on. It's not my place to do it. Neither should the kids be the ones to let it slip," she continued after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. "Speaking of the kids: we need to tell them."

"And how do you think we should tell them? What exactly do you want to say?" he asked concerned. All his hopes were dashed now. His wife was on a roll.

Deep inside, he had hoped for her to ask him to come back, even if he would just crash in the guest room for a few weeks. Months even. He didn't expect her to go that far. To urge him to tell his parents, to decide that they needed to tell their kids. He was overextended.

"Just let me do the talk. I'm not going to make you look like the bad guy. Our kids deserve better than this," she said coolly before getting up slowly.

She wanted to go upstairs to get the kids, not expecting him to stop her by grabbing her wrist, sending an electric jolt through her body. She swallowed hard when he stood up, looking down at her, his body so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her skin.

"I know I keep repeating myself, but I really do love you, babygirl. I said it once, and I'll say it again: I'm gonna fight for you, no matter what. You can fight your feelings all you want, but in the end, you and me, we both know that we belong together," he whispered, gently letting go of her wrist.

Karolina looked up at him quickly, her eyes meeting his. She started to panic, not wanting to be so close to him. He had lied to her. He had betrayed her, cheated on her. She wouldn't forget about that so easily. She didn't want to either.

"I'm getting the kids," she said, her voice just a whisper.

She swiftly moved out of his way, literally running up the stairs. She had known that this conversation was going to be difficult. She just hadn't known it would be THAT difficult.

"Leni, Siaki…mommy and daddy need to talk to you real quick. Would you come down with me please?" she called when she was in the hallway, smiling to herself when Leni was the first one to appear, Siaki just a few seconds behind. It was always the same scenario with the two of them.

Leni kept firing questions at her mother all the way down to the kitchen whereas Siaki remained silent, just taking things as they came. He was such a laid-back little boy. Both Roman and Karolina were thankful for that.

Leni quickly jumped onto Roman's lap, snuggling close to him. She was such a daddy's girl that it broke Karo's heart to tell her about their father moving out. But they couldn't lie to their children anymore. They needed to know the truth. Not all of it, of course. Just the part where they would understand that things would change from now on.

"So, mommy and daddy need to tell you something. And we need you to listen closely, ok?" she asked, first looking at Leni and then at Siaki who was sitting in her lap.

"Are we getting a dog?" Leni asked excitedly, not in the slightest realizing that the tension in the room was almost palpable.

"Listen to your mommy, sweetheart. It's really important," Roman whispered into her ear, kissing the top of her head lovingly.

Karo licked her suddenly very dry lips nervously, looking over at Roman pleadingly, as if she was asking him to go on. But she had told him she would do the talking, so he just nodded his head, urging her to continue. She wanted to do this, not him. Although in the end all of this was his fault anyways.

"Mommy and daddy have some grown up things to discuss and need some time apart before being able to work things out, you know? So, daddy won't live with us in our house for a while. When he is not at work, he will sleep in another house," she tried to explain, looking back and forth between her children, sensing that they were thinking hard about their mother's words.

"And you can always come visit me. I will be close-by. Not far away from here," Roman added, his attention now on Leni as he could feel the little girl tense up in his arms.

"Will you come back home, daddy?" she asked, looking up at Roman with her big blue eyes reflecting sadness and fear.

Roman moved his head to face Karo, silently asking her to reply to his daughter's question. Because it was simple: he didn't know. He didn't know if he would ever be able to go back home again. He had no idea if they would work things out, if there was still a chance for them.

"Sweetheart, look, this is not so easy, ok? Daddy will always be around, alright? If you want to stay with him, you can tell me and we'll call him," Karo tried calming her little girl down, noticing the change in her behaviour immediately.

"Will daddy come back home again?" she insisted, eventually feeling that something was not okay between her parents. She would never know what it was, she was way too small for that, but she knew that her mother and father were being different.

"Daddy can sleep in my room," Siaki offered, not understanding what was going on. All he seemed to understand was that his parents were not in a good mood and that they didn't kiss. So he naturally assumed that they had a simple fight that would be okay again the next day.

"I wanna go with daddy," Leni cried, clinging onto her father once again.

Both Roman and Karo realized that the situation was getting out of hand. They needed to protect Siaki from Leni's outburst, knowing that their daughter had the so-called Samoan temper. They didn't think she would so easily accept that her father would be gone a lot more from now on.

Without saying another word, Karo picked up Siaki, bringing him back upstairs to spend some time with him, knowing that Roman would be able to handle Leni on his own. He had a special bond with her. A bond nobody would ever be able to comprehend.

"I don't want you to go, daddy. Why do you have to go? Why do you have to live in another house?" she kept asking, breaking Roman's heart into a million pieces.

He hated this. He hated hurting his wife, hurting his kids. This whole situation was so messed up.

"Listen to me now, princess," he started, moving so that he could face her properly. "Mommy and daddy love each other very much, ok? Sometimes grown-ups do stupid things. And then they need to make up for them. Your mom and I need a little time to discuss a few things. We will always love you, ok? Both you and your brother. That will never change. We need for you to be a big girl, alright? Be a good girl to your mommy, you hear me? I'll always be around. I'm not far away."

It hurt him to see the tears in Leni's eyes, relieved to see her nod her head as if she understood what he was trying to tell her. All she knew was that her father would not sleep in their house anymore. And she didn't like that. Not at all.

The little girl had no idea what was really going to happen, what was really awaiting them. And both Roman and Karo didn't even know what the future held for them either. Everything was uncertain, everything was hanging in the balance.

However, one thing was certain now for Karolina and Roman: It was over.


	13. Trying to return to normality

_**First of all: I'm SO sorry for not posting a chapter yesterday but I was at a WWE live event. It was amazing. And yes, I** ** _got to touch Roman and I can once again confirm that he's the most beautiful human being on Planet Earth lol Plu_**_ **s, I've got another selfie with Dean :) (Sorry for sounding like a fangirl though lol)**

 _ **I would like to thank PezzieCoyote, Lilygirl95, fenner82, angelsdee327, Alexis Black-Reigns, reignsbabee, Samantha, WickedRedRose22, LetitReigns525, Insane Cali Gurl, Kalea N Reigns, CarolReigns, Solosunni, Ctinaisfashion, mitchy21, Micah, Beastielife, insky5967, SPARKELS77, benova13, lauraxxx, Shannon5288 and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter.**_

 _ **Also, very IMPORTANT: apparently other websites are posting my work as theirs. Please be informed that I only upload my stories on here and nowhere else. These people are stealing our work. Thank you :)**_

 _ **Onto** **the next chapter. Enjoy and review :)**_

 **...**

 **Chapter 13: Trying to return to normality**

It was about two weeks later that there was something that posed the first challenge for Karolina and Roman: It was Dean's birthday.

Dean and Shannon had discussed back and forth about his birthday party. Shannon didn't want Roman to be there while Dean insisted on inviting him. No questions asked.

"You can go and have a few beers with Roman another time. I don't think he should be there when Karo is," Shannon mumbled, continuing to write her shopping list.

"This is complete and utter bullshit, Shan. Roman is my best friend. I want him here, so he will be here," Dean insisted, rolling his eyes when Shannon huffed.

"Do you have any idea of how much this will hurt Karo?" she exclaimed, straightening up and standing with her hands on her hips.

"Babe, I'm not even going to discuss this with you now. Karo and Roman decided to go their separate ways? Fine. That's none of my business. They need to get their act together and learn how to be around each other without it ending in World War 3. Not only for the sake of their kids, but for all of us as well. They're grown ass people," Dean scoffed, hating that his best friend's actions were affecting them all to that extent.

"You're gonna comfort Karo if that asshole is going to make her cry, I'll make sure of that," Shannon warned, raising an eyebrow when he started chuckling. "What's so funny?"

"I'm gonna let Seth do it this time. He knows best how to comfort his princess," Dean laughed, raising his hands in defence when his wife sent him a death glare. He was just trying to ease the tension a little.

The day had finally come and today they would celebrate Dean's birthday. Karolina had promised Dean that she was going to be fine, not wanting to cause any trouble on his birthday. Especially not when the kids were around.

"Happy birthday, Dean. You look just as handsome as you did when I first met you," Karo said with a giggle when she hugged him, her arms wrapped around his neck tightly.

"I actually wanted you back then. You didn't take the chance and made the wrong choice," he said teasingly, hugging her back.

"Oh yes…obviously I did. I really did," she said, sighing heavily without really meaning to. She promised herself not to be a party pooper that day.

Dean let go of her gently, looking deep into her eyes. He just wanted to joke around, not even realizing that his statement was a little ambiguous.

"I'm sorry, Karo…," he whispered, relieved when she nodded her head with a sad smile. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her.

"Uncle Deaaaaaaaan, happy birthday," Leni and Siaki yelled at the same time, jumping at their uncle who was able to catch them just in time. All these hours in the gym paid off in the end, he was proud of that.

"Thank you, you beautiful little monsters," he said with a smile, tickling them which made them laugh heartily. It was good to see the kids so happy and carefree, although they knew from Karo that they were having a hard time dealing with Roman's move-out.

Roman found a little apartment about a week ago. It was big enough for his children to stay with him whenever he was in town. It was just a 5-minute car drive from their house as he didn't want to be too far away from his family. The day he had picked up a few of his belongings, together with Dean and Seth by his side, Karo went grocery shopping with the kids. Roman didn't know if it was because of the kids or if she wanted to protect herself. He knew she was fragile right now, knowing that all of this probably would have made her cry. He would lie if he said he didn't shed a few tears that first night he spent at his new apartment. He had felt so alone and empty.

"How about you guys go ahead already? Dylan, Joan and Hayley are already waiting for you two on the back porch," Dean said to the kids, wrapping an arm around Karo's shoulders to guide her into the same direction. "And you, my ravishing beauty, are gonna sit next to Seth today. You two blabbermouths can talk about the latest gossip. Now how does that sound?"

He laughed when she swatted his chest, giggling herself. He wanted to make this as easy for her as possible.

"You've never paid me so many compliments, Dean. I'm overwhelmed with emotion," she joked, kissing his cheek when he batted his eyelashes.

"Trust me, I would have. But it took me years to get the picture of your vagina pushing out Siaki's head out of my mind. I had a psychic trauma. Every time I tried complementing you, I saw your pussy in front of my eyes. That was kinda weird," he explained, laughing when she once again swatted his chest.

"You are impossible, Dean Ambrose. You really are," she huffed, and as much as she tried, in the end she couldn't help it, bursting out laughing as well.

"What's so funny?" Seth asked when Dean and Karo entered the back porch, arm in arm. Just a few years ago he would have been jealous of how close the two of them had become. But he had grown up so much in the meantime that he knew he didn't have to worry about his best friend disregarding him.

"I wish I could tell you but we have kids around," Dean simply said with a mischievous smirk on his face, finally letting go of Karo so that she could embrace Shannon, Seth and Maxine who were already gathered around the garden table.

The kids were playing in the sandbox close to the swimming pool, still in sighting distance so that one of the adults would be able to step in in case something happened. Thankfully the times were over where Joan and Hayley would eat sand – to their parents' delight.

"These clothes have looked a lot better on you once," Shannon said brutally honest, shrugging her shoulders innocently when Seth groaned. "What? It's true. She's lost way too much weight recently."

"Shan…please…," Dean warned, offering Karo a glass of white wine which she gratefully accepted.

"What is it with all of you? I know you all don't have the guts to address the elephant in the room but it's fucking obvious," Shannon scoffed, looking at all of them before turning her attention to Karo. "Listen sweetie, I get it. You're heartbroken. That's completely understandable. But you need to eat. You need to keep living, alright?"

"You don't get to tell me what to do, Shannon," Karo barked at her, not letting her friend do this to her in front of all the others. "I'm okay, alright? How the fuck would you feel if that happened to you, huh? You would be just as miserable. So don't give me a fucking speech about how I should feel. I se…"

"Okay, okay…stop it you two. Not here, not now," Seth interrupted them, looking at Shannon sternly, not wanting them to fight on Dean's birthday. It really wasn't worth it. "Karo still looks amazing, ok? No need to worry for anyone. She'll manage."

Karo tried her hardest to suppress the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes, nodding her head thankfully when Seth put a hand on her shoulder, massaging it softly. Her emotions were all over the place. In the last couple of weeks, ever since Roman told her, she had been in a rollercoaster ride. Sadness, hurt, anger and resentment were just a few of the many things she was feeling deep inside.

She wished she could just stop loving Roman. She wished she could just get away, leaving it all behind. But she couldn't. She had children. Her kids needed their father. If it wasn't for them, if it wasn't for her friends…she would be gone. She would have moved back to Germany, starting all over again. But she knew she couldn't run. She needed to endure and overcome this. And she would. It would just take some time.

Yes, she had lost a lot of weight in such a short amount of time. But she definitely wasn't skin and bones. It was just unusual to see her clothes dangling like that when normally they were tight-fitting. She simply didn't feel like eating, having lost her appetite ever since knowing that her husband was sleeping with another woman. It was understandable.

When the doorbell rang, Karo immediately tensed up, exactly knowing who that would be. It was Roman. He was the only one missing. And although she knew that he had ended things with that other woman, at least that was something that she wanted to believe him, she couldn't help but be afraid that he would show up with her one day.

What if he had moved on already? What if he had decided that in the end he might as well be with her if his wife wasn't giving him a chance anymore? She couldn't even blame him. She had asked him to move out, not even giving him any hope about if there was a future for them at all.

She sighed in relief when he entered the back porch alone, just Dean by his side. Her breath was still hitched in her throat, her body tense. Seth kept massaging her shoulder softly, just letting her feel that he was by her side and that she wasn't alone during this difficult time.

"Hey everyone," Roman said in a low voice, almost shyly, this being the first time ever since he had confessed the truth to Karo that they were all reunited at the very same time. "Thanks for the invitation."

Roman wouldn't have been mad at Dean for not inviting him to his party. He would have understood. Yes, they had known each other longer, but he was the one who had fucked things up, so it was only understandable if he would have asked Karo to come to his party and not him. He also knew that Maxine and Shannon were not happy with him either – at all.

He looked over to see Karo sitting next to Seth, his two-toned friend holding a protective hand on her. He was glad that they all were so supportive during this difficult time. He would never be able to make it up to them – ever again.

His heart skipped a beat when he noticed that the seat next to her was empty. She wasn't looking into his direction, her gaze on their children who were playing in the sandbox on the other side of the garden. He knew she was trying to avoid him and he was able to relate. He hated looking into the mirror these days, so her reaction was totally understandable.

He slowly made his way over to the empty seat next to her, noticing that she was swallowing hard when she realized that he was coming closer.

He almost yelped when Dean passed him at cyber-speed, never having seen his friend move that fast before. The short-haired man landed in the chair with such force that it almost fell over with him on top, but he still managed to sit up straight, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Have a seat, Ro," he panted, smiling at his Samoan friend with a nervous smile on his face. It was crystal clear that nobody wanted him to sit next to Karo.

"Daddy!" somebody yelled, immediately getting his attention and distracting him from the awkward situation at hand. A smile crept onto his face when he realized that it was Leni.

"Hi sweetie," he beamed, picking her up to kiss her cheeks. "You look so beautiful today."

Leni smiled brightly at her daddy, looking down at her pink-dotted, white summer dress. She really loved to dress up. She was such a princess. And her daddy was her Prince Charming. Her first true love.

"You look more beautiful," she said to him, her two small hands framing his hairy cheeks, pecking his lips quickly. "Samoan Fabio."

Everyone burst out laughing, even Karo.

"Ooookay, where did you get this from, little lady?" Roman asked his daughter after putting her back down, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Uncle Dean always calls you that when you're not around," she said truthfully, shrugging her shoulders innocently when Dean glared at her playfully, groaning.

The conversation was over for Leni right then and there, so she quickly made her way back to the other kids. He looked over to where they were playing, blowing his son a kiss when the little boy smiled and waved at his father from a distance.

"Beer?" Shannon asked indifferently, offering him an already opened bottle of Budweiser which he gratefully took. He knew Shannon hated him the most now. Apart from Karo, of course.

"Thanks," he replied, sighing when she had already turned around, making her way back to where she was sitting next to Maxine.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them, nobody knowing what to say next. The tension was thick, almost palpable. And all of this was Roman's fault. Or so he thought.

"So…what did the birthday boy get from his wife?" Roman asked with a smile, trying to ease the tense situation a little.

"My faithfulness and eternal love," Shannon replied quickly, taking a sip of her wine. "That's all he needs."

"Shannon…I swear to God...just stop it now," Dean said through gritted teeth, having heard enough. "It's been enough."

Roman swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. He knew he deserved it. He deserved to be cursed out and pissed on. He deserved every nasty word, every insult. He didn't care. He wouldn't complain, wouldn't fight it. So this would be the very first time he wouldn't fire back at Shannon and just let her have her way.

He looked over to where Karo was sitting, noticing that she was once again looking over to where the kids were playing, tears in her eyes. If he could just take it all back. Turn back time, change everything. He would. What would he give to just hold her in his arms now? Everything. Simply everything.

"Hey Dean, what about those steaks? I'm hungry as fuck," Seth said, once again breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Let's go and fire up that grill, dude."

He first kissed his wife's lips, then Karo's cheek, before eventually getting up. On his way to the grill, he passed Roman, pulling at the Samoan's ponytail to silently let him know that he should join them. He was sure he wouldn't want to sit at the table with the three ladies all by himself. They would kill him.

"Your wife has never hated anyone as much as she hates me," Roman said to Dean as soon as they were out of earshot, taking another sip of his beer.

"I think she hates Justin Bieber more. Then again…no, you're her public enemy number one," Dean replied, high fiving Seth when he chuckled. "Congrats. Your life is going to be a fucking nightmare."

"It already is," Roman sighed, not leaving Karo out of his eyes, relieved that she was talking to Shannon and Maxine animatedly. "Karo looks horrible."

"Oh wow. Why don't you just tell her that straight to her face?" Seth asked mockingly, shaking his head in annoyance. "Fucking jerk."

"Gimme a break, Rollins. You exactly know how I meant it," Roman exclaimed, feeling sorry for Dean when the short-haired man exhaled deeply. "She is pale…her cheeks look sunken. It sucks seeing her so fragile and weak. Is she even eating?"

Seth remained silent, not wanting the situation to escalate. What did Roman think? His betrayed wife looked like a piece of shit because of him. He should have worried about her before he cheated on her.

"I'm gonna make her eat, believe me," Dean said, putting a few steaks on the grill. "Is she even talking to you at all? She told me she was, but I don't believe her."

"Only when it comes to the kids. Other than that, stony silence," Roman said, loving the smell of fresh meat, making his mouth water. He wasn't cooking for him when he was at home. It was junk food, day in and day out.

"What about Cassie? Is she still in the picture?" Seth asked curiously, keeping his voice as quiet as possible.

Roman turned his head inconspicuously, checking if the girls were looking their way but they were still talking and drinking wine, not paying them any attention.

"Nope. I actually told her that Karo knows. Of course she thought that this would mean that we are free to date, but I made it crystal clear to her that I wanna fight for my marriage. It took me weeks to make her understand that we're over for good. I hope she finally got the message," Roman explained, not wanting to think about the endless conversations he had with Cassie. She hadn't called or texted for a couple of days now.

"So, what does this 'fighting for my marriage' include? Are you doing anything at all?" Dean wondered, turning around the steaks before taking a sip of his own beer.

"I'm not sending her flowers or chocolates. I don't text her constantly to beg for forgiveness. That wouldn't make a difference. She needs time now. And I'm giving her that time. As much as it kills me," the Samoan sighed, once again looking over to see that she was smiling at something Maxine said. "God, I miss her so fucking much."

"You only learn to appreciate something when it's gone," Seth said thoughtfully, remembering the time he was excluded from their clique when the incident with Karo happened while she was pregnant with Joshua.

"Sad but true," Dean mused, patting his dark-haired friend on the back. "I know it seems unpromising at the moment, but I hope and think that you guys will get back together. You don't just stop loving someone like that."

"LENI, STOP IT NOW," they heard Karolina yell, all of them immediately turning around to see what was going on.

Leni was pulling Dylan's hair, even pinching the little boy over and over again. Siaki, Joan and Hayley all stayed away, not wanting to get involved. It was normal to them that Dylan and Leni fought but it was happening more and more these last couple of weeks.

"Oh fuck no," Dean groaned, wanting to hand the barbecue tongs over to Seth to check on his son but Roman stopped him.

"Lemme go check on them, bro. I'll take care of it," he said, setting his bottle on the tray next to the grill.

Karo was already separating the two brawlers from each other so that Dylan almost ran into Roman, his vision blurry from all the crying Leni had caused. He quickly moved out of the way, letting the little boy go to his mother for some comfort. These kids agreed like cats and dogs sometimes. It was such a mess.

"How many times do I need to tell you to behave?" Karo yelled at Leni, kneeling in front of her so that they were eye-level. "I've had enough of this, Leni. No TV for a whole week. And no chocolate."

"I HATE YOU," Leni yelled at her mother, trying to get out of her grasp as Karo was holding onto her wrist. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you."

"Leni Elisha Reigns, you keep your mouth shut now," Roman said authoritatively, looking at her with a stern expression on his face. "Don't you ever talk to your mother like that again. Do you understand me? And now go and apologize to Dylan."

She pouted at her daddy but Roman was having none of it this time. She couldn't just tell her mother that she hated her. She couldn't hurt Dylan like that. This went way too far. She was crossing a line.

"This is not over yet, missy. We'll talk about this later," he added, watching as she walked away wordlessly. He knew she was going to apologize to Dylan, even if she didn't want to.

"I had this under control. I didn't need your help," Karo said quietly, running a shaky hand through her long, blond hair.

Roman just looked at her intently, not saying a word. She looked so weak, so exhausted. He wished he could do something to make her feel better. She just needed to say something, anything, and he would do it for her. But he wouldn't push her, knowing that it would have a reverse effect on her. He didn't want to risk that.

"I knew you did. I just wanted her to see that we pull together. You know she would have tried to get me on her side otherwise," he stated, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I haven't seen her like that in a long time. She was very aggressive."

Karo sighed heavily, not even looking at him, her eyes focused on the sea that was just a few feet away from them. Having him stand so close to her made her feel uncomfortable. He was so close, yet so far away. It hurt. It hurt a lot.

"She's been acting up lately. It's getting worse again," she admitted, hating to show him any kind of weakness. "Miss Sommier called. She screamed at her teacher again."

"Why didn't you tell me, Karolina?" he asked, sighing heavily. He didn't even mean it in a reproachful way.

"Because I can do this on my own. I don't need you for this," she snapped, finally looking at him. "I'll manage, ok?"

Roman groaned, annoyed by her bitchy behaviour. He understood that she wanted to show him that she didn't need him, that she was capable of raising the kids all by herself. But that was not the point here.

"I know, alright? I get it. You can do this all by yourself. I've never doubted it. The thing is: you don't have to. I can support you, help you. I'm their father, you know? We agreed that our kids have first priority. So let me help if there are any issues," he insisted, taking a deep breath when she broke eye-contact again.

He watched her every move intently: the way her body tensed up, the way her breathing became shallow. She didn't know how to act, what to say. It hurt him to realize that she had the feeling that he became a stranger to her. He loved her so incredibly much.

He worked up the courage to raise his hand, slowly moving it towards her face. He put his index finger under her chin, making her look up at him.

"Babygirl…," he said quietly, his voice almost a whisper.

And for a moment he was hopeful. Hopeful when she looked at him the way she did, so attentively and even pleadingly. As if she was finally caving in. He wanted to continue to speak when she opened her mouth, signalling that she wanted to say something.

"Don't fucking touch me, Roman," she said coldly, moving her head away so that his hand dropped back to his side.

He stared straight ahead when she left him standing there all by himself, a shocked expression on his face. He should have expected her to react this way, but it still pained him. It hurt so much to look into her cold and emotionless eyes that it made him shudder. What had he done to her? What had he done to his beautiful Karolina? She was only a shadow of her former self. And he was the only one to blame for this.


	14. Nice to meet you-not

_**I would like to thank Micah, Lilygirl95, reignsbabee, Beastielife, WickedRedRose22, Ctinaisfashion, Samantha, Insane Cali Gurl, CarolReigns, Shannon5288, angelsdee327, Solosunni, mitchy21, SPARKELS77, insky5967, Kalea N Reigns, CFierce116 (yay she's back!), JxTina (yay, she reads my stories…sooo exciting) and fenner82 for reviewing the last chapter.**_

 _ **In general, I would like to thank you all for reading and supporting this story, in every way possible. You guys truly rock!**_

 _ **Onto the next chapter: Enjoy and review :)**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 14: Nice to meet you…not**

"I can't wait for you guys to finally have that bloody Christmas break," Maxine sighed, snuggling closer to Seth who chuckled after her statement. "I need you home with me."

Together with their kids, they had made their way to the nearest playground. The weather was fantastic: the sun was shining and it was enjoyably warm. Not too windy too. A little fresh air didn't hurt anybody.

"I must say that I can't wait either. I'm tired. And my body's aching," he admitted, trying to get comfortable on the bulky wooden bench, but it was to no avail.

"You've denied my offer. I was willing to voluntarily give you a massage," she said, slightly pinching his side, giggling when he yelped.

It was funny, and sad also, to see that after Roman and Karo's disastrous breakup, her relationship with Seth had strengthened. It was as if the whole drama had woken them both up, making them see just how important they were to each other and that they needed to change something. They took each other for granted and that was the worst thing that could have happened. So they started having date nights again, talked a lot more and just cherished spending time with each other and their kids.

"I know something you could massage," he whispered into her ear, nibbling on her earlobe gently. A smirk crept onto his face when she moaned quietly.

"Hmm…and what would that be?" she whispered back, moving her head so that she was eye-level with him.

She followed Seth's gaze, seeing that he was checking if their kids were looking their way. When he was sure that they were distracted, he took his wife's hand into his, guiding it to his crotch.

"This right here needs some attention," he stated, groaning when she gripped him softly.

Ever since Maxine got her boob job done a few years ago, their sex life had turned exciting once again. She was more open-minded now, trying out new things with him whenever he had another crazy idea. They really enjoyed being with each other.

"Oh really?" she asked playfully, running her hand up and down his crotch teasingly, loving how he was getting hard just by her touch. "You have no idea how desperately I need you to fuck my pussy. I want you to make me scream your name…I want you to slap my ass so hard that I beg you to finally take me."

Seth swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. His wife had such a dirty mouth sometimes. He loved it.

"Mommy, daddy…we want to go to the swings. Can you push us?" Joan yelled for them from afar, making them jump in shock. They were so lost in each other that they totally forgot about where they were.

They both blushed when they realized that they got carried away on a playground of all places. They would definitely go to hell one day. That was for sure.

"Sure, we'll be right there," Maxine screamed, just loud enough for their children to hear, before nuzzling her nose into Seth's neck, laughing heartily. That was close. So so close.

"Oh my God. I can't believe we just did that," Seth mumbled, joining her laughter when she gasped for air, grunting like a pig. She was having a fit of laughter. "Don't forget to breathe, woman."

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. Thankfully these were tears of joy, not of sadness. He kissed her temple, shaking his head when she still continued to laugh. He loved seeing her so happy and carefree. She should always feel like that when she was with him.

While Roman and Karo's marriage was falling apart, his was flourishing. And as much as it hurt him to see his best friends struggle so much, he was thankful that for once his love life was going into the right direction.

He loved Maxine, unconditionally, with all his heart. They had survived many ups and downs already. They had been on the brink of breaking up more than just once. But in the end, they managed to find their way back to each other. And he would never let it get that far again. Ever.

 **…**

"Leni, stop it now. I'm not going to discuss this with you any further. Put on your shoes and get ready. Mommy is waiting for you. You have to go back to kindergarten tomorrow," Roman roared, eventually losing his patience with his daughter.

Leni and Siaki had spent the last two days at their father's apartment, like they had done many times before whenever he was in town. Each and every time it got more difficult for them to go back home to Karo. Or to be specific: It was Leni who continuously made a scene whenever they had to leave. And Roman has had enough of that now.

"But I don't want to go home," she whined, stomping her foot on the ground to prove her point, her arms now folded across her chest. "Mommy's always in a bad mood. It's no fun."

Roman sighed heavily, not wanting to hear any of this. He knew that his wife was taking good care of their children. They weren't suffering from her moods. All they were suffering from was their parents not being with each other anymore. And Karo was definitely lying when she said she didn't feel the same way.

"Mommy is in a bad mood because you're not behaving. That is why," he groaned, running a hand through his long, dark hair that for once wasn't held back in a ponytail. "Look at your brother. He's such a good boy. Why can't you listen to me like he does?"

Leni didn't know what to answer to that so she remained silent, just pouting. Roman was at the end of his rope. He had no idea how Karo was doing this on a daily basis. He would have killed himself already. He only now realized how hard it was raising two kids on his own. Karo had his full respect for all of her efforts.

He knew he should have just picked her up, take their belongings and put them in his car. But he just couldn't. Siaki wasn't the problem here. Of course he missed his daddy, loved spending time with him. But he understood that he was living with his mommy. And when it was time to go, it was time to go. He had accepted it just like that.

"I need a fucking break," he mumbled to himself, massaging the bridge of his nose, trying to get rid of an impending headache.

He left the kids behind in their room, knowing that they needed to calm down just as much as he did. They were sharing one room as his place wasn't that big, but he considered it appropriate for the time being. He didn't know if things with Karo would get back to normal one day. But as soon as he was sure that there wasn't a chance for them anymore, he would look for a bigger apartment. As much as the thought hurt him.

He took out his cell phone, doing something he knew he shouldn't do.

He called Karo.

One ring, two rings…finally, after the third ring, she picked up.

"Roman…what's wrong?" she immediately asked, concerned when he called because he normally didn't do so. "Are the kids okay? What happened?"

He smiled to himself when he realized just how worried she was about their children. It showed him how much they really meant to her. It made him love her even more.

"No…they're okay. We're fine," he quickly said, not wanting her to worry too much.

"Why are you calling then?" she asked, the tone in her voice having changed instantly. Sometimes she could be as cold as ice.

"Leni is acting up once again," he groaned, sitting down on the couch in the living room. "She doesn't want to leave."

"So?" she wondered aloud, not seeing a problem here. He was a 265lbs Samoan wrestler. She was sure he could handle the little girl on his own. "You want to keep her overnight? I thought you have to leave for the road tonight. Or are you expecting any visitors?"

"Karo…," he sighed in annoyance, leaning back on the couch in exhaustion. Would people ever stop doing this to him?

"Don't 'Karo' me. That question was justified," she grumped, not feeling one bit sorry for him. "So?"

"I can't keep them overnight. Me and the guys are leaving in 3 hours," he explained, moving his head when he heard noises coming from the door.

Leni and Siaki were standing in the doorframe, both of them looking at their father sadly. It broke his heart to see them like that. His kids were the ones that were suffering from the separation the most and it just wasn't fair. They deserved all the love and sympathy in the world.

"I wish you could see them right now, Karolina. They're heartbroken," he said quietly, not wanting them to hear any of this. He wasn't sure if they did or not though.

"Don't use them against me now, Roman. That's not fair," she retorted, tears filling her eyes when she thought about her kids and how devastated they were about their parents not being with each other anymore.

"I don't. I promise you I don't. Just...please just do me one favour. Just one," he pleaded, moving slightly so that his back was facing his kids. "Come here, Karo. Come here and let's order pizza or something. Let's have one dinner as a family. And maybe it will be okay for them to leave afterwards. Just this once. I'm begging you."

There was an uncomfortable silence on the phone. Roman's body was tense, he was afraid of what she was about to say. Clearly she was thinking hard about what he had suggested.

"Ok," she whispered, letting out a deep breath. "Okay. I'll be there in a couple of minutes. But Roman?"

"Yes?" he asked hopeful, his heart beating fast in his chest when she agreed. He was so relieved.

"This is an exception. And I'm doing this for the kids. Not for you," she explained. And with that, she hung up, not giving him another chance to reply.

There was nothing for him to say anyways. He knew she was only doing this for their children. But he couldn't care less. As long as they would spend time as a family, as long as he had his loved ones around him, he was happy.

It was a move in the right direction.

 **…**

It was only a couple of minutes later that Karo arrived at Roman's apartment. She was nervous, that much was clear. But she needed to get her act together and not let this affect her too much. She didn't want him to see or feel how much of an effort this cost her.

"There you are," he said after opening the door, a smile on his face. It was hard not to notice how happy he was to see her.

She just nodded her head, entering his apartment when he stepped aside to let her in. This was the very first time she had been there. He normally picked the kids up from the house and also brought them back. So it was weird being in his 'home' now. It once again made her realize that things between them were over. And that hurt.

She looked around, noticing how the rooms sparsely had any furniture. But one thing stood out: there were pictures every. On the wall, on the cupboards. As far as the eye could reach. Pictures of them as a family, of them as a couple. It made her heart skip a beat.

"Do you want anything to drink? Water? Soda? Maybe coffee?" he asked, leading her into his living room where he had a table set for four persons.

"Some water please," she said politely, not wanting to cause any trouble with their children being in the same apartment. "Where are the kids?"

"They're in their room," he called after leaving the room, startled when he turned around and she was standing right behind him. He didn't expect her to follow him into the kitchen. "Yeah…uhm…they're in their room."

"Can I go see them?" she asked, at the same time looking around in his kitchen. It was small but useful.

"They're your kids as well. Of course you can," he said as a matter of fact, opening a cupboard to retrieve a cup.

"It's your apartment though," she retorted, taking the cup from him when he had trouble coordinating to open the bottle of water and keeping the cup in his hand at the same time.

"Thanks," he said sheepishly, not remembering the last time he felt so nervous around her.

Karo didn't even answer, not knowing what to say. It was such an awkward situation and she couldn't wait to have her children around them again. It was sad to see how much they had grown away from each other already.

"Mommy," she heard a tiny little voice say, her heart jumping for joy when she saw her little boy.

"Hey munchkin," she replied, kneeling down to pick him up, placing feather kisses all over his face. "I missed you. Have you been a good boy to daddy?"

Siaki eagerly nodded his head, very proud of himself. He hated to see Leni get scolded by their parents on a regular basis, so he decided to always behave. He enjoyed being the good one far more than his parents would ever know.

"That's great. So…shall we order some pizza then? Would you like that?" she asked her son, smiling brightly when he clapped his hands happily, knowing that the little one loved pizza just like Garfield loved his lasagne.

Roman loved watching the interaction between his son and wife. It made him miss home even more. It was the little things he took for granted. Now, after having lost everything, he eventually realized just how important they were. To see her smile, to see the love in her eyes that she had for their son…it made his heart melt.

"Can I have pizza as well?" another voice asked meekly, both Roman and Karolina with Siaki on her arm turning around, seeing a defeated Leni.

They knew their daughter wasn't doing all of this on purpose. Part of her behaviour was their fault; the other part was her trying to get her parents' attention. It was a sign, showing them that these circumstances were too much for their daughter to handle. She was such a daddy's girl that she had a hard time accepting that her father wasn't living with them anymore. They needed to be understanding, they needed to give her time to adjust.

"Of course you can, boo," Karo said, making her way over to where Leni was leaning in the doorframe, kneeling down to be eye-level with her. "But baby, you need to listen to your daddy when he asks you to do something."

"I know," she mumbled, looking down at the ground in shame. "I just don't want him to leave again."

Roman swallowed hard, tears immediately filling his eyes. His daughter had always had a hard time seeing him leave when he was still living with them in the house. Now her fears were doubled. His heart broke for the little girl.

"I told you that you can see daddy whenever you want to, sweetie. But he has to go to work tonight. He would have to leave anyways. You don't need to worry, you hear me? Daddy will always come back. He will never leave us alone," Karo said soothingly, caressing her daughter's head lovingly.

"Do you still love daddy?" she asked, her eyes full of hope and curiosity.

Karolina was taken aback, not having expected this kind of question. What was she supposed to say now? Would the little girl even understand?

She looked up to see Roman staring at her intently, noticing how he was holding his breath. She couldn't get out of this so easily.

"Of course I do. Your daddy will always have an important place in our heart. That doesn't change just because he is living in another house," Karo replied, hoping that her answer was adequate. She didn't give away too much, just stating facts.

That was all Roman needed to hear. He hoped that she was telling the truth. It would break his heart should she have lied to their daughter about something so important.

She still loved him. There was a modicum of hope for them.

 **…**

Karolina would never be able to pay Roman's parents back for what they were doing for her. After Roman confessed to them what he had done, Patty and Sika immediately paid her a visit, apologizing for their son's sickening behaviour. They felt horrible for the things he did, begging Karo not to take the kids away from him or them for that matter.

Now they offered to take the kids for the night, not only Leni and Siaki, but Dylan, Joan and Hayley as well, so that Shannon, Maxine and Karo could enjoy a girl's night out in town that night. They really needed it.

"It feels like it's been ages since we've last had a few drinks together," Shannon said, sitting down at the bar with a heavy sigh. Her new shoes were killing her already and she had only been wearing them for an hour.

"We definitely should do this more often," Maxine added, waving over to the bartender to order a round of shots for them. They needed to let loose.

Karo remained silent, not feeling very comfortable in the dress that both Maxine and Shannon made her wear. It was skin-tight and shorter than just short, ending just a few inches underneath her ass. She hadn't dressed like that in ages. At least she had lost so much weight that she didn't look like a whale wearing it.

"Hey, maybe we can find a man for you tonight, Karo," Shannon suggested, yelping when Maxine swatted her arm. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"You're unbelievable, Shan. Just shut the fuck up for once," Maxine scolded, looking at Karo sympathetically, shrugging her shoulders innocently. Karo knew it wasn't her fault though. She learned not to pay too much attention to what Shannon was saying anymore.

"I'm not saying she needs to find a man to spend the rest of her life with. A little one night stand doesn't kill anybody," the brown-haired woman continued, not getting the hint when Maxine sent her a death glare.

Sex was the farthest thing from Karolina's mind, so she just rolled her eyes, finishing her shot in one gulp, letting the burning liquid soothe her for the time being. She was sure she needed a few more of these during the night.

"So, how are you guys gonna celebrate Christmas?" Maxine asked curiously, turning her attention to Karo. She knew she probably shouldn't be asking her friend any questions relating to Roman but she was genuinely concerned for her and the kids.

"I wish we could just skip it, but I think we need to get our acts together and get it over with. I asked Patty and Sika if we could celebrate with them so that it wouldn't just be Roman and me alone with the kids. It would definitely make me feel better," Karo admitted truthfully, breathing heavily. She didn't even want to think about it just yet but the holidays were just around the corner, so she needed to stop pushing it to the back of her mind.

"Will you buy a gift for that cheating son of a bitch?" Shannon asked nonchalantly, or at least she tried to, because deep down she really wanted to know. "You should buy him condoms. But no wait…wait…what about a chastity belt?"

"Shannon, would you please just shut the hell up?" Maxine groaned in annoyance, having heard enough. She had hoped they would be able to spend a pleasant and fun night out in town but Shannon was ruining it all with her dumb remarks.

Karo just tried to ignore it all, looking around impatiently, trying to find somebody that would take their order as the bartender seemed to have finished his shift. She was thirsty for a cocktail. And she desperately needed some alcohol to endure Shannon's stupid comments.

"That's kinda weird," Karolina mumbled to herself, squinting her eyes to get a better look. She really needed to go and see her eye specialist again.

"What's weird?" Maxine immediately asked, following Karo's gaze, her eyes landing on a woman behind the bar, rinsing pitchers.

"That woman over there. She looks like that girl that popped up at our house a few weeks ago," Karo explained, frowning slightly. "She said she was a journalist for some magazine. I don't get why she's working here now. I knew something was off with her."

"Maybe she was just some crazy fangirl," Shannon stated, checking the girl out from afar. "She definitely looks like one."

"Roman met up with her for an interview though. So I'm not s…," Karo started, stopping herself mid-sentence when realization finally hit her. "Oh my God."

"Oh my God what?" Maxine asked, concerned when all the color drained from her friend's face. "What's wrong, Karo?"

Karo didn't even have a chance to respond, the girl they were talking about slowly making her way over to where they were sitting. The atmosphere was tense, something was in the air. Shannon and Maxine just couldn't put their finger on it yet.

The dark-haired girl stopped in front of them, ignoring the other two women, just staring at Karo in silence.

"Two mojitos and one Bloody Mary, please," Shannon called, thinking the lady would finally take their order. She needed something to drink. Quick.

The woman didn't reply, her gaze still fixed on Karo. She swallowed hard, her heart beating fast in her chest. She felt uncomfortable, anxious even. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do?

But she couldn't care less anymore. She had lost everything anyways. So she might as well come out with it all. What was there left for her to do?

"Karolina?" the black-haired woman asked, although it sounded more like a statement. "My name's Cassie."

Karo just stared at her wordlessly, not sure what to do. She was petrified.

"What the fuck is wrong?" Shannon asked no one in particular. She could just feel that something was definitely up. But when she looked back and forth between her best friend and the waitress, she started putting two and two together.

"I'm Roman's affair."

And that sentence changed the whole course of their evening...


	15. All hell breaks loose

_**I would like to thank Micah, thismagneticconnection, Beastielife, reignsbabee, Ctinaisfashion, Lilygirl95, lourdes1694, JxTina, Cookie D, CarolReigns, WickedRedRose22, bamakakechick, CFierce116 (Girl, you were on FIRE lol), Samantha, insky5967, SPARKELS77, Solosunni, Insane Cali Gurl, mitchy21, benova13, Kalea N Reigns, fenner82,**_ **_Shannon5288_** **_and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter. Yes, I left you with a little cliffhanger. I'm sorry. (Or am I? haha)_**

 _ **So, our boy Roman is going to headline WrestleMania once again. Second time in a row...yihaaa. How awesome is that? I'm so incredibly proud of him. Roman Empire since Day One, ladies and gentlemen!**_

 _ **Okay, enough blabla. Here we go, enjoy & review the new chapter. You know you've all been waiting for it ;-)**_

 **...**

 **Chapter 15: All hell breaks loose**

"What the fuck did you just say?" Shannon asked through gritted teeth, not sure she indeed understood her correctly. She sure as hell didn't hope so.

Cassandra still ignored Shannon and Maxine, her gaze fixed solely on Karolina who was looking at her with a shocked expression on her face.

"I'm talking to you, bitch," Shannon yelled, now standing up from the barstool she had been sitting on. "Answer my damn question."

"Shannon…," Maxine whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "Let it go."

The vein on Shannon's throat bulged, giving away that she was furious. That was the woman that stole her best friend's husband? That was the woman that ruined Karo's life? She wouldn't let her get away with it that easily. Nobody would stop her now, not even Maxine.

"I wish I could say that I'm sorry, but I'm not. I love him," Cassie said coldly, knowing that she was putting herself in a dangerous situation but she didn't care. She was so heartbroken by losing Roman that she wasn't even afraid of getting her ass kicked.

"Shut the fuck up," Shannon barked, snapping her arm away angrily when Maxine tried to stop her. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"You won in the end, Karolina. You did. But what good did it to you? You're married to a cheater," the black-haired girl continued, not surprised to see anger flash in her rival's eyes. "Once a cheater, always a cheater."

"That's enough," Shannon shouted, launching at Cassandra and grabbing her hair. "I told you to shut the fuck up."

"Oh my God…Shannon…stop it," Maxine exclaimed alarmed, once again trying to drag her brown-haired friend away from the other woman.

"You fucking slut," Shannon said through gritted teeth, having a fierce grip on Cassie's hair now, both of them at eye-level. "You spread your legs for a married man? You're a sorry excuse of a woman. You're…"

"Shannon…let it go. She's not worth it," Karo now said, not wanting them to get in trouble for that. She was in a state of shock, having a hard time fathoming what was happening.

Shannon didn't listen though. People around them were looking their way, whispering to each other about what was going on. Other employees of the bar were surrounding them, trying to separate the two women. But it was to no avail.

When Maxine realized that she had no chance to stop Shannon from kicking Cassandra's ass, she hurried out of the bar, on her way out dialling the number of the only person that would be able to know what to do in this situation.

Dean.

It rang a couple of times, and Maxine was afraid that he wouldn't pick up his phone. She wouldn't know who else to call. He was her only hope.

"Maxi, girl, what's up?" he asked after picking up on the fifth ring, his voice raspy. It sounded as if she had woken him up.

"Dean…oh my God…it's Shannon," Maxine stuttered, she sounded as if she was in panic, immediately alarming Dean.

"What? What's wrong with her? Is she ok?" he demanded, sitting up straight in his bed. He was more than awake now.

"We're in a bar. Shannon, Karo and me. All of a sudden this Cassandra girl popped up and approached Karo, telling her that she is…was Roman's affair," Maxine explained, not surprised to hear Dean groan on the other side of the phone.

"Lemme guess…my wife freaked the fuck out," he more stated than asked, running a hand through his messy hair. He had hoped that this day would never come. How wrong he was… "Where are you now?"

"Outside. Shannon is about to whop that girl's ass. Dean, this is some serious shit right here. She's getting us in trouble," she murmured, looking through one of the windows to see why there was commotion inside. She wasn't surprised to see that Shannon had grabbed Cassandra by the throat now. "Oh my God, I think she's going to kill her."

"Okay, calm down, sweetie. Breathe in and out slowly," Dean said in a deep voice, trying to think of a plan as fast as possible. "Where is Karo? Is she still inside?"

Maxine looked inside once again, seeing that Karo was now standing in a far corner, typing away on her cell phone. People were still trying to get in between the two brawlers but couldn't do anything as long as Shannon wasn't starting to throw punches.

"She is. She's on her phone," Maxine replied, swallowing hard. She was afraid someone would call the police. They would be screwed if that was the case.

Karolina's whole body was shaking. So much that her hands were trembling, making it difficult for her to type. But she needed to talk to someone now. She needed help. Maxine left and she had no idea where she had gone. Shannon was unstoppable. She needed advice.

 _*Seth, I need your help. We're in a bar and Shannon is about to get us in trouble. That woman, Roman's affair, approached us. And Shan's lost her fucking mind. What am I supposed to do? Karo xx*_

Seth was about to fall asleep when his cell phone beeped, signalling that he had just received a text message. He wasn't surprised to see that it was Karo. She had been texting a lot these last couple of weeks. He knew she needed somebody to talk to whenever she felt alone.

When he read her message this time, however, he almost fell out of his hotel bed. What the fuck was going on?

 _*What the fuck? How the hell did you even meet her? Karo, first of all, calm down. Don't get involved, ok? I'm gonna talk to Dean now. Hang in there. Seth xx*_

He quickly slipped on a shirt and sweatpants, not even caring to put on shoes. His socks would do it for now. With his phone tight in his hand, he ran out of his hotel room, grateful that Dean's room was on the same floor as his. He needed to get there as fast as possible.

"Come on, man. Open the fucking door," Seth yelled, knocking on the door over and over again. Every minute counted now.

"Did Karo text you?" Dean asked him the moment he opened the door, his cell phone pressed to his ear.

"Yeah. Who's this?" the two-toned man replied, entering the room when Dean went back in, not caring to wait for his friend to follow him.

"Your wife. The girls are in trouble," he said, putting his phone on loud speaker. "Maxi, Seth's here now."

"Oh God…baby…Shannon is freaking out," Maxine stumbled over her words, hoping that the two men could tell her what to do. She was lost.

Seth and Dean looked at each other, both of them sighing heavily. Normally the girls couldn't leave _them_ alone by themselves without anything happening. Now it was the other way round.

"Go in there now, angel. Take the phone with you," Seth suggested, giving Dean a sign to remain silent when the short-haired man looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "Put us on face time. Dean needs to talk to Shannon. That's the only way we can stop her."

"Okay…okay…I will do that. Hold on," she replied, removing the phone from her ear, touching the little button on the screen to start a face-time conversation with the boys. "Alright…I'll go in now."

Seth hated to see Maxine like that. She seemed to be shaken up, worried about what was going to happen. He wished he could be there for her. For all three of them actually. But all they could do now was try to help from afar. He prayed to God that Shannon would listen to Dean.

Maxine moved her phone so that they could see what was going on in the bar, both of them gasping when they realized that Maxi was not joking when she tried to explain what was happening. Shannon was indeed freaking out.

"Shannon," they heard Maxine yell, seeing that she was now standing right next to Shannon and Cassie who were about to slap the taste out of each other's mouths. "Shannon…stop…Dean wants to talk to you."

"Tell him to suck my dick," she barked, not even turning around, another round of threatening words escaping her lips that were directed at Cassandra.

Seth couldn't help but chuckle. He knew that the current situation was extremely serious, not to be taken lightly, but that was how he loved Shannon. She didn't take shit from anyone. Not even from her own husband.

"SHANNON," Dean yelled, not only startling Seth but getting his wife's attention as well. "Listen to me now."

Shannon moved her head, still not letting go of Cassie's throat. Dean was surprised that the big security guy in the background wasn't trying to get involved, but maybe he thought better than to touch an enraged woman. What a clever dude!

"Dean, that's not a good time right now…as you can see," she said, motioning with her head towards Cassie who just in this moment rammed her knee into Shannon's stomach. "Uh…fucking bitch. Come back. I'm not done with you."

When Shannon wanted to run after her, she got stopped by the security guy Dean had silently complimented a minute ago. "Stop it or I'm calling the fucking police. You've caused enough damage already. Just get the fuck out of here. All three of you."

Dean and Seth could only see how Maxine grabbed Shannon's arm, dragging her out of the bar as fast as she could. Then the phone was pointing to the ground, the only noises they heard was Maxine calling for Karo, asking her to follow them quickly.

They both took a deep breath, relieved when the sounds of music diminished, telling them that they had finally left the bar. They were in a more or less safe place now.

"Girls…hey girls, we're still on the phone," Seth yelled, only hearing them talk to each other hysterically. "Maxine…babe…hey."

After some jerking and jolting, they could finally see Maxine's face again, the relief evident on her features. She was glad they got out of the bar without being escorted by the police.

"Your wife just threw away her shoes and is on her way to the water. I think she needs to cool down a little bit, so I'll let her," Maxi said towards Dean, her eyes moving upward again, focusing on something. "I think you guys should talk to Karo though. Seth, baby, maybe you can get something out of her. She's been pretty quiet ever since Cassie popped up."

Without waiting for the guys to answer, she slowly and cautiously made her way over to where Karo was sitting on a rock close to the beach, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. They heard the auburn-haired woman whisper to the German girl, the phone moving around a little, until Seth could finally see Karo's face. She looked as if she were in a trance.

"Karo, baby, are you okay?" the two-toned man asked, not liking the way she looked so low-spirited. He was worried about her.

She remained silent for a few moments, just staring ahead, probably towards the sea. Seth didn't want to push her, giving her all the time she needed. He would even accept if she didn't want to talk at all. The ball was in her court now.

"I wish I had never met her," she said in a whisper, so quietly that Seth almost didn't catch it. "I didn't want to know what she looked like, who she was…"

Seth waited for her to continue, not wanting to ask stupid questions. He knew this situation must have been very difficult for her. For all the girls.

"She is the complete opposite of me, Seth. She has dark hair, almost black. She's slender, very much so…tanned skin, small breasts. Her eyes…I think her eyes were brown," she mused, still not looking at Seth.

"Stop it, Karolina. Don't…just don't," Seth immediately interrupted, knowing exactly where she was going with this. She was going to compare herself to Cassandra.

"Maybe she's the kind of girl he wants and needs. Maybe it's not me, maybe it's never been me," she continued with a faraway look in her eyes, completely ignoring him.

Ever since Roman told her that he had been cheating on her, she had asked herself the question 'why'. Why did he do it? Was it her fault? Did she drive him away? Didn't she satisfy him anymore? She blamed herself. Yes, she did. She kept looking at herself in the mirror and wondered it if was her looks. Wasn't she pretty enough anymore? Or was it her flaws? Was he annoyed by her? Was that the reason after all?

She knew she shouldn't blame herself. She shouldn't make this about herself. All of her friends, even Roman's family, they told her that it wasn't her fault. That Roman was the one to blame and nobody else.

But now that she knew what Cassandra looked like, who she was, she couldn't help but fall back into old behaviour patterns. It was easier to bash herself than to get the real answers. She didn't want to pity herself but that was all she could think of doing right now.

"Karolina, you listen to me now," Seth said sternly, finally getting Karo to look at him. He hated seeing her like that. What he hated even more was when she put herself down like that. "Stop it, ok? Don't fucking start with that crap."

He knew she immediately understood what he was talking about. They knew each other well enough.

"I'm going home now, Seth. I'm tired," she simply said, running a shaky hand through her long, blond hair, not caring that it took Maxine an eternity to get them so pretty. "I love you. Thanks for everything."

And with that she ended the conversation, handing the phone over to Maxine. She was still feeling as if she just got punched in the stomach. She felt sick.

"Let's go get Shannon and leave. I don't wanna be here anymore," she told the auburn-haired woman, hugging her tightly to wordlessly thank her for her support during the whole ordeal.

She was grateful for her amazing friends. She didn't even know where she would be without them.

 **…**

"Ugh…what the fuck? Calm your tits, I'm on my way," Roman groaned in annoyance, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He had just been woken up by somebody knocking on his door madly.

"They met," was all Seth said when Roman finally opened the door, storming into the room, almost knocking his Samoan friend over.

Roman closed the door from the inside again, drowsily following his friend back into the hotel room. What the fuck was even going on?

"Who met who?" was all he asked, yawning heartily. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open.

"Karolina and Cassandra. They met," Seth said as a matter of fact, hoping to have his friend's full attention now.

And he certainly did. Roman looked at Seth wide-eyed, his breath hitched in his throat. Did he understand him correctly? Karo and Cassie…they met?

"What the fuck are you talking about?" the dark-haired man asked, not even caring to put on a shirt. He couldn't even think straight right now.

"Shan, Maxi and Karo went to a bar tonight. THAT bar," he explained, stressing the word 'that' to make himself crystal clear. "Cassie approached Karo, telling her she's your affair. Or was…whatever."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Roman stated, to no one in particular though. "Oh my God. I can't believe it."

"Yeah…it was a mess. Shannon was about to kill her. Like…seriously. Maxine called Dean to ask for advice as she couldn't stop Shannon from attacking Cassie. Karo texted me, not knowing what to do either," he continued, running a hand over his face tiredly.

"Please don't tell me they ended up in jail," Roman sighed, shaking his head. He couldn't believe this was happening. "Oh God…they did, didn't they?"

"Nobody's in jail…thank God. I went over to Dean's and we face-timed Maxine. Dean wanted to stop Shannon from making a mistake. She had Cassie by her throat and the moment Dean talked to her, she was so distracted that Cassie kicked her in the gut and ran off. The girls were kicked out afterwards," Seth concluded, leaning back on the couch. He was mentally exhausted. What a night. He didn't expect any of this to happen.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Roman needed a few minutes to process Seth's words, trying to fathom what he had just been told. He felt so horrible right now. He never wanted Karo to meet Cassie. That made everything so much worse.

"Dude, Karo's heartbroken. She has been all these weeks, even if she didn't want to show you any of this. I mean…she's probably more angry with you than anything else, but at the same time she's so fucking hurt," Seth started, feeling guilty for telling Roman this as he had promised Karo to keep it to himself. "Now, after seeing Cassie, she feels even worse. You wouldn't believe it but she could tell me exactly what she looks like. Like…from the color of her eyes to the size of her bust. She's comparing herself to her. And you know your wife. You know how self-critical and insecure she is. This is not going to help you to get back together. That's all I can tell you right now. You need to fix this, Ro. You finally need to do something other than wait for her to make the first move. I know you mean well when you give her space, but maybe it's time to try something different."

Roman watched in surprise how Seth left his room without saying another word, leaving him behind with his thoughts and a heavily pounding heart.

Karolina and Cassandra met. They now knew each other. And that changed everything.

Maybe Seth was right. Maybe it was time for him to fight for his wife, to win her heart back. He had been waiting long enough. He needed to do something about this now.

He still didn't think that sending her flowers would cut the mustard, so he immediately dismissed the idea.

There was only one thing that he could think of right now. Only one thing that he knew would reach her. He knew she probably didn't want to talk to him right now. So he wouldn't even dare to call her.

So he just texted her. He wrote it all down. His feelings, his emotions. Everything that came to his mind. He wanted her to know what he was thinking, how much he loved her.

 _*I know I must be the last person you want to hear from right now, but I heard about what happened. And I'm sorry about that, Karolina. I never wanted you guys to meet. I never wanted you to know who she is. I'm sorry for all the pain I put you through, for all the trouble I'm causing you. I wish I could take it all away from you. I wish I could turn back time. Unfortunately, I can't. I love you. I really do. With all my heart. I know I should stop apologizing because no apology, no 'sorry' will ever make this right again. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met in my life. Inside and out. Your smile always brightens up my day, your clumsiness always makes me laugh. Although you hate it when I make fun of you when you once again bumped your toe somewhere. But I just can't help it ;-) I love the way you worry about me whenever I'm in the ring because it shows me just how important I am to you. I love waking up to you every morning, taking in your scent, feeling your body snuggled into mine. It's these moments I cherish the most. No woman has ever been able to make me feel the way you do. It's as if you could anticipate my every wish. The way we make love, the way we spend hours pleasuring each other. Until the wee hours of the morning. That's what it's all about. I miss those times. I miss having you in my arms, kissing you, feeling your lips on mine. I miss telling you that I love you. I miss YOU. You're all I need in my life. You and the kids. Please Karolina, don't give up on us so easily. Keep fighting. Just like I do. Not only for our children, but for us as well. As a couple. Try to forget about that other woman. Don't let this affect us anymore. Everything was looking up, we were going into the right direction. I don't want this to stop us. Not anymore. Please. I love you, with every fibre of my being. Roman xx*_

Tears were streaming down Karo's face now, sobs shaking her whole body. Her emotions were all over the place, she was overwhelmed by the whole situation. She didn't expect Roman to text. Ever since moving out, he had never tried anything like that. He gave her space, gave her time. No flowers, no chocolates, no nothing. And she had appreciated it.

And now, after knowing about her meeting his former concubine, he thought it was a good idea to text her? To write her all these sweet things? What was he thinking? That she was vulnerable enough to forgive him just like that?

She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from crying. She had vowed herself not to shed another tear because of him. She was so angry, so incredibly hurt.

Her vision was blurry, but she managed to see right through her tears. She knew he was expecting her to text back. Maybe he was even hoping that she would call him.

But she wouldn't. And she couldn't. There was only one thing that she wanted and needed to do:

She deleted his message.


	16. If I could turn back the hands of time

_**I would like to thank reignsbabee, thismagneticconnection, Lilygirl95, Shannon5288, CarolReigns, Insane Cali Gurl, lourdes1694, Samantha, Ctinaisfashion, Micah, LetitReigns525, fenner82, benova13, WickedRedRose22, JxTina, Solosunni, angelsdee327, mitchy21, Lisa, SPARKELS77 and CFierce116 for reviewing the last chapter.**_

 _ **Just last week I once again read a few chapters of 'Please protect me from injustice' and I cannot thank you all enough for sticking by me through it all because honestly...did I suck or what? Haha I think my writing was so bad back then lmao I appreciate you all so much!**_

 _ **Onto the next chapter. Enjoy & review (I need it today…I'm having the worst day -.-)!**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 16: If I could turn back the hands of time**

The last couple of weeks had been a nightmare for Roman. Ever since Karolina had more or less clashed with Cassandra, his wife was treating him like he didn't exist anymore.

The only communication they had was about their kids. Nothing else. It hurt like hell.

He didn't blame her though. He knew she was hurt. He'd never wanted her to meet Cassie in the first place. That things had escalated in the end didn't make it all that much better.

She never replied to the text message he had sent her that night. Even when he asked her about it, she just ignored him and told him not to forget to check if Siaki really brushed his teeth before going to bed.

He was exhausted – mentally and physically.

Being away from Karo and his kids finally showed him just how much he loved and missed them. Seeing his kids on an irregular basis was killing him.

The worst part was spending Christmas with his family when things were this awkward. He knew he had broken his mother's heart by cheating on Karolina. The rest of his family wasn't all that much thrilled about it either, especially his sisters. That had been the very first time that he felt like the fifth wheel in his own family on Christmas. He deserved it though.

He was sipping on his third beer that night, a picture of Karolina, Leni, Siaki and him in his right hand. Tears were streaming down his face. He was sick of trying to suppress them, was sick of acting as if he had everything under control. He didn't. He lost strength, lost hope. He thought about giving up, not seeing a chance for him and his wife to ever reconcile again. Her behaviour towards him made it crystal clear that she was not interested in having him back in her life.

 _How did I ever let you slip away  
Never knowing I'd be singing this song some day  
And now I'm sinking, sinking to rise no more  
Ever since you closed the door_

 _If I could turn, turn back the hands of time  
Then my darlin' you'd still be mine  
If I could turn, turn back the hands of time  
Then darlin' you, you'd still be mine_

He really wished he could turn back time. He would undo it all. He never would have called Cassie. He never would have gone to her place, doing what he had done all those months. He would have talked to Karo, would have told her about how he was feeling, about what was going wrong. But he had been a coward. He had taken the easy way out. There was no way of taking it all back, as much as he would like to.

Now he was suffering from the consequences. The consequences being that his wife was giving him the cold shoulder. That she wouldn't reply to his messages, that she wouldn't answer his calls. She accepted his Skype calls when he pleaded her to be able to talk to his children. She always left the room when he talked to them. It was heart-breaking.

 _Funny, funny how time goes by  
And blessings are missed in the wink of an eye  
Why oh why oh why should one have to go on suffering  
When every day I pray please come back to me  
And you had enough love for the both of us  
But I, I, I did you wrong, I admit I did  
But now I'm facing the rest of my life alone, whoa_

Yes. Yes, he was sure he would be alone for the rest of his life. Not that he had to. But he wanted to. If he couldn't have Karolina, he didn't want anybody else. He knew that sounded like the cheesiest thing ever, but that was how he was feeling in this very moment. She was the first woman he had truly loved. He had been with several women before her, but nobody had ever been like her. She had given him the most special gift a woman could give a man: she had given him three kids. She was the mother of his children.

He still remembered the day Joshua was born, a sob escaping his lips. He still asked himself 'why'. Why didn't he breathe? Why was his heart so weak? Why was he gone? But he would never get answers. Nobody would ever be able to tell them why.

But they even made it through that horrible and life-changing situation together. It had been a difficult time, for both her and him. They had even gone separated ways for a while. But he had always known deep in his heart that she would come back to him. However, things were different now.

 _I'd never hurt you (If I could turn back)  
Never do you wrong (If I could turn back)  
And never leave your side (If I could turn back)  
If I could turn back the hands  
There'd be nothing I wouldn't do for you  
(If I could turn back)  
Forever honest and true to you  
(If I could turn back)  
If you accept me back in your heart, I love you  
(If I could turn back the hands)_

He was thankful that Seth and Dean were still having his back. They didn't support his decisions, made it crystal clear to him that they were disappointed in him. But they would never leave him high and dry. They were best friends, they were brothers. They would even try to bring Karo and him back together. Shannon and Maxine were no help, of course. But his brothers definitely were. Seth and Karo had always been very close. And it wasn't surprising that she had grown even closer to Dean in the last couple of weeks as well. They were there for her whenever she needed them, they would listen to her and comfort her. They would never judge her, would never tell her what to do. Every chance they got, however, they would suggest her to talk to Roman again, to make things right between them – even if it was just for the sake of their kids. She wouldn't listen unfortunately.

 _(If I could turn back)  
That would be my will  
(If I could turn back)  
Darlin' I'm begging you to take me by the hands  
(If I could turn back the hands)  
I'm going down, yes I am  
(If I could turn back)  
Down on my bended knee, yeah  
(If I could turn back)  
And I'm gonna be right there until you return to me  
(If I could turn back the hands)_

Cassie had never contacted him ever again. He was surprised that she didn't. He was sure that after facing Karo, she would come back running to him. But maybe she finally understood that things were over between them for good. It also wouldn't be a surprise if Shannon had threatened Cassie to kill her should she ever make another move on him, so maybe that was the reason for her not to call him again.

He was glad that she left him alone now though. He couldn't worry about Cassandra anymore. He had too much on his plate as it was. His wife had left him, he barely saw his kids anymore and in the meantime his boss, Vince McMahon, was true to his words and banned him from the title and main event picture so that he ended up in the midcard of the roster. He hadn't become the typical jobber yet, but if he kept messing up his moves in the ring, he knew that he would be in the near future. Maybe he could carpool with Zack Ryder soon.

 _(If I could turn back)  
If I could just turn back that little clock on the wall  
(If I could turn back)  
Then I'd come to realize how much I love you  
Love you love you love you  
(If I could turn back the hands)_

 ** _Song by R. Kelly: If I could turn back the hands of time_**

He knew that his kids were suffering as well. Especially Leni. Each and every time he had to bring them back home to Karo when he had to leave for the road again, she would act up. She would cry and scream, throw things around and even pull her hair that he sometimes didn't know what to do anymore. She neither listened to him nor to Karo. It was such a disaster.

Siaki on the other hand had become alarmingly quiet. The little boy had always been calm and shy, but it had become a lot worse. He would barely speak, barely eat. There was no smile on his face, no nothing. He would go to his room and play in silence- all by himself. It made Roman worry a lot. So much that he approached Karo about it. But his wife immediately felt attacked and told him off, saying that she had everything under control. It was a vicious circle.

Roman finished his beer with one last big gulp, throwing the empty bottle against a wall with full force, not ever caring that the glass broke into dozens of pieces. He would clean the mess up tomorrow. All he wanted right now was to feel sorry for himself. He just let the tears fall, not caring that his nose was running. His heart had never felt so heavy in his chest. He missed them so much. He loved them with every fibre of his being. But he knew he could never win them back again.

 **…**

"Do you really think that divorce is the right thing to do?" Seth sighed, sitting down on a chair in Karo's kitchen. "I mean…don't you think you should wait a little longer?"

"Wait? What for? Seth, I don't see a future for us. I just want to make things easier for my kids," the German native replied, pouring them both a cup of coffee.

"Oh, and divorcing from their father is the best way to make them happy. I get it," he said mockingly, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Karolina swallowed hard, not wanting to cry. She had thought long and hard about the possibility of a divorce and she was convinced that it would be the best solution for them all. Seeing that her best friend was not supporting her idea hurt.

"Their daddy cheating on their mommy wasn't such a clever move on his part either, don't you think?" she huffed, sitting down next to him. "I didn't ask him to fuck up our marriage. He did it on his own."

Seth just nodded his head, stirring his coffee pensively. Silence filled the room for several long minutes, both Seth and Karo deep in thought. How would he be able to convince her that filing for divorce was the wrong move? How would he be able to make her see that there still might be a future for them after all?

He turned slightly to be able to face her properly, not liking the way her cheeks looked so sunken. She had still lost a little more weight. He didn't like it. It wasn't who she was.

"Do you still love him?" he asked out of nowhere, surprising her with his question. He could see it in her eyes.

"Seth, it's not that easy. It's j…," she started to explain but that wasn't what he wanted to hear, so he immediately interrupted her.

"I asked you one simple question, Karolina. Do you still love him?" he repeated, looking deep into her eyes. He didn't want to hear why it wasn't that easy, why her feelings didn't matter. He wanted a 'yes' or a 'no', it was as simple as that.

Karo took a deep breath, immediately breaking eye contact. All of a sudden her coffee was so much more interesting than anything else.

Seth didn't push her though. He remained silent, giving her all the time she needed to answer. He knew that she would. He didn't give her any other choice but to do so. Maybe she was even asking herself that very same question. Maybe she had done so many times before and she never allowed herself to find an answer. Maybe she was too afraid.

"What am I supposed to say, Seth?" she whispered, tears threatening to escape her eyes. She was so sick of crying, so sick of the heartache and the pain.

"The truth. All I want is the truth," he replied, taking one of her hands into his. "Look at me, babe."

She swallowed hard before looking up to meet his eyes, the hurt evident in her own. Not only hurt, but insecurity as well. He wished he could take it all away from her.

"I promise not to judge you. Whatever your answer is going to be, I'll keep it to myself. I'm not gonna tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me," he reassured, softly squeezing her hand. "Karo, it's me, Seth. Your best friend. You can trust me."

Karo nodded her head, a single tear now streaming down her face. She didn't have to be strong in front of him. He knew her too well. He could read her like an open book.

"Yes…yes, I still love him. And that makes everything so much more complicated," she sobbed, leaning into Seth's hand when he cupped her face. "I don't want to love him anymore. He hurt me so much, Seth. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to forgive him for what he's done."

Seth moved closer to his best friend, wrapping his arms around her tightly. His heart was breaking for her. He knew she was trying to act as if she was okay with being separated from Roman. She had cried a lot in the beginning, then all of a sudden she had stopped after a few short weeks. He was sure she didn't want them to tell her that she needed to stop being a whiny bitch about it when it was her who was keeping a distance to Roman.

It was sad to know that she was feeling that way. They were her friends. They would always have her back, they would always comfort her. Nobody expected her to be okay with it just like that. Her husband, the father of her children and the love of her life…he had cheated on her. He had betrayed them all. It wasn't so easy to get over this and nobody ever asked her to do so that quickly.

"Shh, hey, it's okay. I understand," he said soothingly, running a hand up and down her back soothingly.

Karo's whole body was shaking with sobs and she leeched on to Seth as if he was her anchor. He swallowed hard, not knowing what else to do. He knew that Roman wanted Karo back. He would do anything in his power to do so, but he also knew that Karo wouldn't let him. He couldn't blame her, he really understood why she was acting the way she was. But there needed to be some kind of way to bring them back together. They loved each other, so much was clear.

"I'm so worried about Leni and Siaki," she admitted, leaning back a little to be able to look at him. "They suspended Leni from kindergarten. Again. Seth, this is…this is horrible. This happened for the third time ever since Roman moved out. And she's only in kindergarten. What's going to happen if she goes to school?"

"Does Roman know?" Seth asked, surprised when Karolina completely let go of him, standing up quickly.

"Really? Is this all you care about now?" she asked, clearly annoyed now. "I tell you that I'm worried about my children and you ask if Roman knows?"

"They're his kids, too. He needs to know. You should talk to him about stuff like that. Maybe he knows what to do," Seth offered, shaking his head disbelievingly when she huffed. "Karolina, seriously, you need to stop feeling attacked whenever somebody says something about your children. Nobody implies that you cannot take care of them on your own. I know that you can, we all know. But you don't fucking have to. Roman can very well help you. That doesn't mean that you are incapable of doing it yourself, for fuck's sake."

Karo looked at Seth astonished. He barely ever called her by her full name. Hearing him raise his voice was unusual either.

"I don't want him t…" she started, but he cut her off mid-sentence again.

"You don't want him to think that you need him? You don't want him to think that you don't have this under control? I get it, I really understand. But stop it. This is not about you. It's not about your pride. This is about your children. You guys wanted them to be first priority? Fucking act like it," he scoffed, running a hand over his tired face. "Think about it, babe. I'm outta here."

And with that he indeed left. Her left her alone, all by herself, only with her thoughts. She knew he was right. She needed to talk to Roman. These were things he needed to know about. Maybe he really had an idea about what they could do about Leni. Maybe he knew what to do to make Siaki smile again. He loved his children. He loved spending time with them. She had no right to take that away from him, as much as he had hurt her in the past. This wasn't about her. This was about her kids. She needed to keep that in mind.

 **…**

Leni was staying with Dean, Shannon and Dylan overnight while Siaki was spending the night at Seth's house. Karolina needed a little time to herself to think about a way she could talk to Roman again. Roman on the other hand had decided to go to the Performance Center in Tampa to work on his ring performance a little more. He knew he had to improve in order not to lose his job.

"Uncle Dean, do you think that one day I can be a supermodel?" Leni asked, sitting on Dean's lap as they were both watching TV in the living room.

"You already are a supermodel, sweetheart," he replied, kissing her forehead softly. He went to grab his beer can when he realized that it was empty already. "Jeez, I just opened it…what the hell?"

Leni tried her best not to giggle, looking at her uncle innocently.

Dean stood up slowly, taking Leni with him to the kitchen by carrying her on his arm, one of her arms wrapped loosely around his neck.

"Alright, let's have another beer," he said, taking the second one out of the six-pack in the fridge. "Where's Dylan? He said he needed to pee. It's been a while."

"He probably peed his pants," Leni said with a giggle, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Uncle Dean, do you think that one day, Dylan will be World Heavyweight Champion?"

Back in the living room, Dean sat down cautiously, paying extra attention not to let her fall. She was asking a whole lot of questions tonight. He didn't even know why.

"He will be the best champion the WWE has ever seen," the short-haired man replied, grinning at her before continuing. "Be..."

"Believe THAT," she finished, pumping her tiny fist with the one of her uncle, both of them laughing heartily.

Dean took a huge sip of his beer, feeling happy and content. He loved spending time with Leni. He loved knowing that his wife was enjoying a bath, that his son was joyful that his cousin was going to spend the night at their house. Actually, life was perfect. If it wasn't for Roman and Karolina being separated. But he was positive that this would change back to normal one day as well.

"Uncle Dean," Leni once again said, now kneeing on his thighs, both of her hands cupping his face. "You have beeeaautiful eyes."

Dean couldn't help but chuckle, once again kissing her forehead. She was such an adorable little thing if she wasn't acting up once again. Thankfully she was being a good girl that night.

"Well, thank you. You have beautiful eyes as well, sweetheart," he complimented back, moving extra close to her, his forehead touching hers, both looking deep into each other's eyes before he started tickling her.

She twisted and turned so that they eventually tumbled on the couch with him still tickling her. She was screaming, trying to free herself but of course Dean was a lot stronger. Tears were streaming down her face from all the laughing and Dean's heart leaped for joy when he saw just how happy and carefree she seemed to be.

"Okay…enough…enough," Dean panted, straightening up again. "I'm thirsty. You're exhausting me, sweetie."

Dean grabbed for his beer can again, a frown on his face when it was empty. He must have taken the wrong one, but when he took the second can, that one was empty as well.

"What the f…" he quietly asked himself, confused about how fast he was drinking that night. "You're joining me to get another beer?"

Leni nodded her head excitedly, taking his hand when he offered her his. In the kitchen, they finally found Dylan again.

"Daddy, do you think that Miss Miller is pretty?" Dylan asked his father, talking about his kindergarten teacher.

After taking the third beer out of the six-pack, all three of them made their way back into the living room, sitting down on the couch.

"Why would you ask me that, partner?" Dean asked his son, looking at him both confused and curiously.

"I have to pee," Leni said all of a sudden, interrupting their conversation for a second. As quickly as she had said those words, as quickly she was gone.

"Because she said to Miss Baker that you're sexy," Dylan replied, taking the remote without asking for his daddy's ok, going through the channels like it was nothing.

"Uncle Deeeeean," Leni yelled from afar now, not even giving Dean a chance to react to Dylan's statement, although he had a smirk on his face. Of course the ladies were still falling in love with him. How could they not?

"What is it, sweetie?" he yelled back, finally taking a sip of his beer.

"Please come to the bathroom, I need your help," she screamed, and although she was screaming, he could tell that it sounded sheepishly. He knew that could only mean one thing: she did not only have to pee.

"Put down the remote. I don't want you to see some bad movies, ok? I'll be back in a minute," Dean ordered his son, setting his beer back on the table in front of him, a sigh escaping his lips. Why couldn't these kids still shit into their diapers?

Dylan waited until his father was out of ear- and eyeshot, with a grin on his face taking the third beer can and running into the kitchen, once again emptying it in the sink. He couldn't believe his father hadn't realized yet that they were playing a trick on him.

He very quickly made his way back into the living room, putting the can back to where his daddy had put it before.

"I'm sorry Uncle Dean. I really thought…you know…," Leni said meekly, shrugging her shoulders innocently. Of course she had only peed. But she somehow had to get her uncle out of the room so that Dylan could keep going.

"No worries, princess. That happens," he reassured her, ruffling her long messy hair. "Hey…how about the three of us watch a movie? Any ideas? Frozen maybe?"

Of course the kids were thrilled that Dean would even suggest that. But instead of watching the movie in silence, they kept him on his toes, asking questions, begging for candy…completely distracting him.

That led them to emptying his cans 4 and 5. And he still didn't realize it. He even started feeling drunk. That was how much they were driving him insane.

When he was taking a sip of the six and final beer, Shannon came down the stairs, a towel wrapped around her body and hair. She looked from Dean to the table in front of him, spotting the 5 empty beer cans, before looking back up to him again.

"Are you serious, Ambrose? You drink 6 fu….you drink six beers while watching the kids? Like…really?" she snapped, taking a deep breath. She couldn't believe him.

"Babe, I swear I didn't….I mean…I did…but then again…I don't know…," he stuttered, now looking at Dylan and Leni who were laughing hysterically.

"Just go upstairs…go to bed. I'll make sure the kids get ready for bed as well. Jeez…" she mumbled, shaking her head in annoyance.

They didn't even know why the kids were laughing. But they were too tired to even care. Only one more thing was needed for them now: and that was sleep. The rest they could talk about tomorrow.

What a night…


	17. You got caught

**_I would like to thank Micah, Lilygirl95, Ctina, BlondieC82, Beastielife, lourdes1694, reignsbabee, Samantha, WickedRedRose22, CarolReigns, insky5967, mitchy21, SPARKELS77, Insane Cali Gurl, JxTina, Lisa and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter._**

 ** _I once again would like to thank my BFF Dina for brainstorming with me throughout this story. Without you, I wouldn't have come so far. Also, a HUGE thanks for the bestest beta-reader ever: Miss PezzieCoyote. The fastest, the kindest…simply the best._**

 ** _Now onto the next chapter :) Enjoy and review!_**

 ** _..._**

 **Chapter 17: You got caught**

If there was one thing that Shannon hated, it definitely was doing laundry. It was bad enough that Dean brought back home tons of dirty clothes each and every week whenever he returned from the road, but Dylan had started messing up his clothes on a daily basis a while ago as well. He was such a wild boy sometimes.

It was late already. Dylan had been fast asleep for about two hours now and Shannon was finally able to call it a night as well.

She was sure that Dean must have fallen asleep already too, seeing as he already left to go upstairs more than an hour ago.

But when she was about to enter their bedroom, she stopped dead in her tracks and stopped still when she heard weird noises coming from inside the other room.

She couldn't quite make out what it was about yet, only knowing that he must have been watching TV, but the closer she got to the door, the clearer the sounds became.

She leaned against the door, her right ear now pressed against the cold wood, a quiet gasp escaping her lips when she realized what he was really watching.

It was porn.

Maybe she should have been mad at him for doing it while she was downstairs washing his dirty underwear. Maybe she even should have been jealous like he had been when it came to her sex toys all this time ago - for whatever reason. But she couldn't help but grin and shake her head in amusement. He was a man after all. And she definitely preferred knowing he was watching porn instead of cheating on her - that was crystal clear.

She decided to startle him a little, knowing that he wouldn't even want her to know what he was doing. She just couldn't help it though.

As quick as a flash she opened the door, trying not to laugh out loud when he looked into her direction wide-eyed, shock evident on his face. He somehow managed to switch off the TV, in the process accidentally throwing the remote slightly up in the air. He tried to catch it, missing it with his right hand, then trying to grab it with the left one, but in the end it fell to the floor next to the bed with a loud thud.

His face was flushed, she would even go so far as to say that he was blushing. That insecure and fake smile on his face made it all that much more comical. She really had a hard time not to burst out laughing.

"Hey babe," he said innocently, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I didn't even hear you come upstairs."

Shannon closed the door behind her softly, smiling to herself before turning back around to face him again. He was still trying way too hard to look innocent. She didn't buy it. Not at all.

"You must have been lost in the movie you were watching," she said teasingly, picking up the remote from the floor before kneeling down onto the bed, climbing over his body to lay down on her side of the bed, not without wiggling her ass in front of his face before she did. "Anything exciting on TV tonight?"

She wanted to switch on the TV when he ungently ripped the remote out of her hand. He very well knew that the device would automatically turn back to the same channel he watched when he switched it off just a minute ago.

"Hey...I wanna watch some TV as well," she complained, trying to get back the remote but he wouldn't let her. "Dean! You're not playing fair. I just w..."

"Let's just get some sleep, sweet cheeks. There's nothing on worth watching anyways," he said with a sweet smile that showed off his dimples.

And normally these dimples could get him anywhere, especially with Shannon, but his wife was determined to find out exactly what this porn movie was all about. She was just too damn curious.

"Okay, fine, whatever you say," she mumbled, acting as if she couldn't care less. She could literally feel how his body eventually relaxed. "Good night, baby. Sleep well."

"I don't even get a kiss?" he pouted, his arms crossed behind his head.

Shannon smiled at him sweetly, moving over so that she was almost hovering above him, her lips just mere inches away from his.

"How could I deny you anything?" she whispered in a husky voice, her nose now touching his before she finally pressed her lips onto his.

She could already feel his hardened length against her thigh, almost sure that he was completely naked underneath the sheets. Maybe she even interrupted him while he was getting himself off earlier.

She teasingly licked his bottom lip, silently asking him for entrance. The moment he parted his lips slightly, her tongue slipped in between them, battling with his for dominance. She would never get tired of kissing him. That much was clear.

While they kissed passionately, with her now sitting on top of him, only the sheets and her boy-cut shorts separating his crotch from her mound, Shannon moved her left arm to the side, as inconspicuously as possible, not wanting him to realize what she was doing.

It took her about a minute to finally grab the remote. Dean moaned into her mouth when she once again intensified the kiss, thereby not noticing that she moved her arm behind her back, switching on the TV.

The moment the screen brightened up the room, loud moans invading his ears, he suddenly pulled back from his wife, looking at her surprised.

"And you wanted to tell me there's nothing worth watching on TV?" she more stated than asked, a teasing smile on her face while she was slightly panting.

He swallowed hard, looking deep into her eyes. What was he supposed to say now?

"You knew?" he asked out of breath, surprised when she moved off of his lap, laying down next to him, placing her head on his naked chest.

"I heard it from outside," she simply said, never taking her eyes off of the TV screen.

"Switch it off," he grumbled, not even meaning to bark at her. He was mad at himself for getting caught.

"Why?" she wondered aloud, now turning her head to look at him, her chin on her hands that were resting on his chest.

"I...it's...that's stupid, Shannon," he mumbled, trying to reach over her to grab the remote but his arms were too short.

"Are you embarrassed?" she asked with a grin, giggling when he groaned. "Don't be ridiculous, Dean. Let's watch this together now."

He frowned at her, surprised when she indeed turned around to concentrate on the movie again.

His body was still tense, she could feel it. She didn't even know why he felt so uncomfortable watching this with her.

"I didn't mean to hurt you with this, Shan," he said all of a sudden, sighing heavily.

"What are you talking about?" she asked curiously, facing him now, raising her eyebrows.

He breathed in and out heavily, feeling like an idiot.

"Watching porn here at home. I mean...I know you're not stupid. You probably know I do it in my hotel rooms when I'm on the road just to get off. It wasn't ok to do it here with you and Dylan around," he explained sheepishly, confused when she then got up without saying a word.

She quickly locked the door, taking off her clothes piece by piece, very slowly, until she was standing in front of the bed completely naked, her hardened nipples begging for his attention.

"Stop worrying so much," she stated in a low voice, grabbing the sheet that was still covering him, throwing it off of him. "Watch this. Watch what he's doing to her and do the same to me."

Dean once again swallowed hard, accepting the kiss she was giving him when she climbed onto the bed again, her left leg covering his so that she was laying halfway on top of him, both of them now fixing their gazes onto the TV screen.

In silence they watched the film, both of them breathing heavily, their arousal increasing minute by minute.

They started caressing each other. His hand was running up and down Shannon's back softly, her fingernails were scraping along his abs, a kiss pressed onto his chest here and there.

After 10 more minutes, she suddenly switched off the TV, putting the remote onto the bedside table next to her. She turned back around to face him, looking at him expectantly.

"You want me to do this with you?" he asked in order to make sure that was really what she wanted, smiling at his wife when she eagerly nodded her head.

"And don't you dare go gentle on me, Ambrose," she added, knowing that he would not be that rough with her if she didn't explicitly ask him to.

Dean and Shannon loved rough and kinky sex. They loved trying out new, crazy things. But every time Dean was a little more aggressive than he normally was, he would apologize to her afterwards. She didn't want him to feel that way. She was a big girl. She could take it.

When Dean wanted her to lay down on her back, she immediately stopped him, knowing what he wanted to do.

"Gimme your hand," she said, grabbing his wrist when he looked at her confused. "Can you feel that? Can you feel how fucking wet I am? I don't think we need foreplay today, babe."

Dean grinned when he felt the wetness in between her legs. He couldn't help teasing her clit a little, his hand finding its way to her entrance, two of his fingers slipping inside.

"Hmm, sweet...as always," he whispered in a husky voice, sucking on his now soaked fingers hungrily.

"You fucking tease," she said through gritted teeth, reaching for his rock-hard cock but he quickly got off of the bed, making his way over to the closet.

"Turn around, face down...flat on your stomach," he ordered, retrieving a scarf from her part of the closet, pulling it with both of his hands to see if it was robust enough.

Shannon was beyond excited. She knew that most of the time porn showed women in a bad light. They were being used, treated like a piece of meat. Like they were worth nothing. But she wanted to be used. She wanted to be used by Dean because she knew that he really loved her.

"Hands behind your back," he requested, grabbing her right wrist to tighten the scarf around it before doing the same with the other wrist, tying them together.

He pumped his cock a couple of times, anticipation making his heart beat a little faster in his chest. He couldn't wait to be inside of her.

He kneeled down on the bed again, his knees to the left and right of her thighs. He spread her legs and ass cheeks slightly, guiding his erection to her entrance.

"Are you ready for me, baby? he asked, although he didn't really expect her to answer.

And just as he suspected, he only heard her whimper, knowing she was just as impatient as he was now.

So he finally put them out of their misery, entering her inch by inch, very slowly, her walls stretching to accommodate to his size, until he was eventually embedded inside of her to the hilt.

"Fuck yes," he groaned, loving the sound of her moaning out loud.

Her face was pressed into the pillow underneath her, her moans muffled. It felt so good to feel him inside of her.

She impatiently waited for him to do what the male actor did to the woman in the film. She knew it would hurt a little, but she honestly couldn't wait to feel the pain.

It took Dean a couple of minutes to find the perfect rhythm, loving the way her ass shook with every thrust. She was gorgeous, even from behind.

"Dean...please..." she begged, turning her face slightly so that he could hear her properly.

He didn't need to be told twice though, leaning forward slightly, before finally grabbing her long brown hair. He pulled at them firmly, thereby lifting up her body so that she was only pressed into the mattress from her stomach downwards.

Dean pumped into her hard and steady, not too fast, not too slow, a tight grip on her hair. With his free hand he slapped her ass, over and over again, until his handprint was all over her cheeks, covering it in red.

"God...fuck...you feel fucking amazing," he groaned, loving how she was trying to meet his thrusts although she hardly had control over her body. "That's it baby. Fuck yourself on my dick."

He held her hair a little tighter, his movements becoming faster and more powerful now.  
They lost sense of time, their bodies covered in sweat, their breath shallow and their hearts beating uncontrollably fast.

Dean once again increased his pace, the sounds of flesh smacking flesh mixed with their moans filling the room. She was so incredibly wet, he didn't even want this to end.

But he was close, dangerously close. Feeling her walls tightening around him, gripping him like a vise, he was sure she was almost there too.

"You wanna cum for me, babe? You wanna cum all over this dick?" he panted, slapping her ass hard again.

"Yes...god yes...make me cum, please...," she begged, the combination of pleasure and pain almost unbearable but still so exciting and hot.

His thrusts became frantic and uncontrolled now and after only a couple more minutes, Shannon became undone underneath him, her whole body shaking from her orgasm, his name slipping from her lips in screams and moans.

That was all he needed to hear to reach his own peak as well. He all of a sudden let go of her, her body now flat on the mattress, her chest heaving up and down in exhaustion.

He slipped out of her, his hand immediately clasping his cock, pumping it furiously.

"Fuck yes...I'm cumming...," he moaned out loud, fisting himself incredibly fast now.

Spurt after spurt of cum landed on her ass and he didn't stop until he had completely emptied himself.

He breathed out heavily when he saw the mess he had made: his red handprints on her ass, mixed with his cum.

He couldn't help but grin, knowing that she must have enjoyed this just as much as he did.

"You're such a slut," he said, moving forward to kiss her back sweetly. "And I love you for it."

She turned her body slightly, smirking at him. "I love you too, dumbass."

 **...**

Karo was incredibly nervous. So much that her breath was labored and her heart was beating fast.

She had been standing in front of Roman's apartment for more than 2 minutes now and still couldn't bring herself to knock on his door.

She had texted him to ask if they could talk, saying that she needed his support with the kids. Of course he had replied immediately, offering her to meet somewhere neutral but she assured him that it was okay for her if they met at his place.

It would be the first time after a long time that they would meet without their kids around. One of the many reasons she was even more nervous.

Without even realizing what she was doing, she was knocking on his door, holding her breath in anxiousness. Seconds felt minutes and minutes felt like hours, but Roman opened the door at record speed, as if he was just waiting on the other side of the door, hoping that she would finally knock. Maybe that was even the case. Who knew?

"Hey…there you are," he said, a beaming smile on his face. She would never know just how happy he was to see her. "Come in."

She just nodded her head, swallowing hard when he stepped aside to let her in. She was even more nervous now.

"I just made some coffee. Want a cup?" he asked, leading her into the living room.

"Yes, thanks. With milk and…," she started, but he cut her off mid-sentence, once again being all smiles.

"With milk and one spoon of sugar," he finished, making his way into the kitchen when she nodded her head with a weak smile. He didn't forget. But how could he so fast?

It had almost been 2 months since Roman confessed to her that he had been cheating on her. Two months of heartache, pain, tears and hurt. Two months of feeling alone, of struggling each and every day to make it through another one. And it didn't get any easier. Quite the contrary.

"I was surprised that you wanted to talk to me," he said truthfully, setting down her cup of coffee onto the table in front of her, sitting down next to her on the couch. He didn't have too much space or furniture so he had to sit next to her, otherwise he would have to sit on the floor. He still didn't want to look for a bigger apartment. There was still a spark of hope deep inside of him.

"Honestly? Seth has given me a tongue-lashing. Otherwise I probably wouldn't even be here right now," she admitted, taking a sip of her coffee, almost burning her tongue. "Jeez…that's hot as fuck."

Roman couldn't help but chuckle. She would never change.

"It's just you being impatient, as always. How many times do I need to tell you to let your coffee cool down a little?" he laughed, remembering all these times she had either burned her lips or tongue just because she couldn't wait to drink her coffee the second it was put in front of her.

"I might as well sue you for this," she pouted, quickly setting her cup back onto the table. "When I'm done with you, nobody will ever talk about the McDonalds incident anymore."

"My life can't get any worse than it is now, so I'm not worried about that at all," he stated, leaning against the back rest of the couch to get a little more comfortable. His whole body was tense being so close to her again.

Karolina swallowed hard, not having expected him to react that way when she for once was trying to ease the tension with a lame joke. Maybe she deserved it.

"Look…we need to talk about Leni. And Siaki," she started, feeling that she needed to change the topic now before the mood and atmosphere took a turn for the worse. "I…they…it's difficult at the moment, Roman."

Roman didn't expect her to be so honest with him. He knew this was difficult for her: admitting that she had trouble raising the kids on her own. He knew she was an amazing mother. She would do anything for their kids. But he gave her credit for coming to him to ask for advice, for help.

"I know. I notice it when they're here as well. It's weird that they do it in their own specific way," he agreed, running a hand over his tired face. "To be honest, I'm even more worried about Siaki. I mean, Leni openly shows that she can't come to terms with the current situation. But Siaki on the other hand…he's alarmingly quiet."

Karo nodded her head, sighing heavily. She felt the same way. Maybe Siaki was the bigger problem here.

"Maybe…I mean…do you think you can somehow talk to him? I know…well…I know he's still so young and probably doesn't even understand what's going on…but…every time I ask him if he's okay, if he's sad, he just smiles at me and nods his head that he's fine. That little smartass already knows how to lie to my face without turning red," Karo said, breathing out heavily.

"He hates to see his mommy cry. That's why he's trying to be a big boy. He wants to be strong for you," he mused, taking a sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving Karo.

"Don't say that, Roman," she retorted quietly, trying very hard to suppress the tears that were starting to fill her eyes. She didn't want her baby boy to worry about her so much. He was just a kid. He shouldn't feel this way.

"I'll talk to him," he simply replied after a few moments, not wanting to make her feel even worse now. He had made her cry so many times already that it would last her a lifetime.

He would talk to Siaki. He would tell him that he can tell his daddy everything, that his secrets were safe with him. He was sure that his son would open up to him if he would approach it the right way. He owed his wife so much.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them, nobody knowing what to do or how to act. A single tear was streaming down Karo's face and she was fighting the sobs that were threatening to escape her lips. Roman didn't dare to wipe away her tears like he normally would. It wasn't his place to do it: not anymore, maybe not ever again.

"What about Leni?" he asked after a few more minutes, once again offering her the cup of coffee, knowing that she would be able to drink it now.

"She got suspended from kindergarten once again. For the third time in the last two months," Karo admitted, feeling horrible for telling him that.

She looked up at him with insecurity reflecting in her eyes. She knew he wouldn't be mad at her, he had no reason to, but she still felt as if she was letting him down. It wasn't her fault, maybe partly, but deep down she knew that this was Leni's way to show everyone that she hated that her mommy and daddy had separated.

"Karo…," he sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "Why haven't you told me?"

He had an idea why she hadn't. But he wanted to give her a chance to explain herself.

"I…it's just that…god," she stuttered, exhaling heavily.

"You didn't want me to know, right? You don't want me to think that you might be losing control and t…," he started, but she quickly cut him off, not wanting him to finish his sentence.

"I'm not losing control," she snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest now. Who the hell did he think he was?

"I didn't even say that. I'm not implying that you are. It's what YOU think though. You think that I assume that you can't do this on your own. And that's why you're afraid to tell me this kind of things," he concluded, immediately noticing her change in behaviour.

"Oh yeah…sure…because you know me so well," she huffed, shaking her head in annoyance. Why did she even meet up with him in the first place? She already regretted it.

"Whether you like it or not, but yes…I know you so well. I probably know you better than anybody else. I know what you're thinking, I know what you're feeling. So just stop acting like the strong woman that you're not. At least not now," he replied, looking at her intently.

"I wish you would have thought about my feelings before betraying me," she whispered, all of a sudden getting up, picking up her purse from the floor.

"Karo…please…don't do this now," he pleaded, quickly following her when she made her way to the front door. "Don't run away. Let's talk about this."

She stopped dead in her tracks, holding her breath when she felt his hand on her shoulder, her back facing him. She didn't want him to see her cry. She didn't want him to see that she was still suffering, that she was still so hurt. All she wanted was the world to think that she was fine, that she didn't need him anymore. But who was she fooling?

"I don't want to talk to you anymore right now. Please just take good care of our kids. We need them to be first priority, Roman," she said in a low voice, wiping away the tears with her right hand.

Without turning around to look at him again, she opened the front door and rushed out of his apartment.

For the first time in two months they were able to more or less talk to each other in a civil manner. They were even joking around, as much as this was possible. But one wrong word, one wrong statement…and it was over.

It simply was over.


	18. It's time to move on

_**I would like to thank Lilygirl95, Ctinaisfashion, reignsbabee, Micah, Samantha, Amy, Solosunni, mitchy21, Lisa, SPARKELS77, WickedRedRose22, Shannon5288, benova13, JxTina, CFierce116, BlondieC82 and the guests for reviewing the last chapter.**_

 _ **Still having a bit of a streak of bad luck. Keep me in your prayers, guys. I think I need it at the moment :)**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 18: It's time to move on**

Another two weeks had passed. Another two weeks during which Roman and Karolina barely talked. Two weeks of heartache, pain and silence.

But during those two weeks, Karo had also come to a decision. The decision to finally move on. To let the past go. To live again.

She didn't tell Roman about that though. He would find out sooner or later. She didn't have to tell him anything. He had made her take that step. He was the one cheating on her, in turn pushing her away. She didn't have to feel guilty. She didn't need to justify her actions.

She would lie if she said she didn't love him anymore. She did. He was the father of her children. He would always play a big part in her life. But sometimes love just wasn't enough. Sometimes it was more than just that. Faithfulness and trust...that was what made love complete. Roman couldn't give her that, not anymore.

Roman was surprised when his wife offered to bring the kids over to his apartment on her own when normally he would always pick them up at their house. But he wouldn't complain, happy that in the meantime he was able to bring his dirty clothes to his mother who, it was really embarrassing to him, would do his laundry as he still couldn't bring himself to buy a washing machine. Maybe he should listen to Seth for once and look for a bigger apartment where he would have enough space to actually put a washing machine in. It wasn't as if he didn't have the money for it.

He hurried to open the door when the bell rang, a smile creeping onto his face when he heard his son giggle about something his older sister said to him. He always missed them when he was on the road. It felt as if he missed them even more now that he wasn't living with them anymore.

"Daddy daddy daddy," Leni and Siaki both yelled at the same time, the two of them jumping into his arms when he opened them for his children, hugging them tightly.

"It's so good to see you two," he mumbled quietly, placing a soft kiss on each of their foreheads. "I missed you so much."

He gently put them back onto their feet, ruffling their hair before watching them run into his apartment, the smile still on his face.

When he turned around again to eventually look at his wife, his breath hitched in his throat, the smile quickly leaving his facial features. He looked her over from head to toe, swallowing hard before licking his suddenly very dry lips.

She looked gorgeous, absolutely stunning. Her long blond hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, her big blue eyes accentuated by smoky eyes make up. But what really caught his eye was the dress she was wearing.

It was a red halterneck dress, showing off enough cleavage so that he needed to try his hardest to fight an erection. It ended right underneath her ass, the thin material clinging to her like a second skin, showing off her curvaceous body. Not to mention her nude-colored high heels that made her well-toned legs look even longer.

"Wow. Quite an outfit to bring over the kids," he noted impressed, stepping aside to let her enter his apartment. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when she shook her head.

"I need to get going. The girls are waiting downstairs," she simply said, trying not to get too nervous by the look he had in his eyes.

"The girls as in Maxi and Shan? Where are you guys going?" he asked suspiciously, not liking where this was going.

"To a club. Girls' night out. That's still allowed, isn't it?" she snapped, rolling her eyes in annoyance when he huffed.

"Like this?" he more stated than asked, motioning with his head to the dress she was wearing.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Roman. And I don't have to ask for permission either," she stated calmly, smiling to herself when she saw the fury in her husband's eyes. "I'll give you a call tomorrow. Don't let the kids watch too much TV today. They weren't behaving this afternoon. Bye."

And with that she left, leaving him behind with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

But Roman wouldn't be Roman if he put up with this that easily. Oh no, he definitely wouldn't. And he already had an idea where to go and what to do.

 **…**

"Dude, what the hell are you doing here?" Dean asked surprised, wanting to let his best friend and kids in when the Samoan rocked back and forth on his heels nervously. "You ok?"

"Grab Dylan, pack a few things for him to stay overnight," he simply said, sighing heavily. "Come on, Dean. Don't look at me like that. Trust me, man."

"I'm not sure if trusting you is such a good idea at the moment," he said cautiously, raising his hands in defence when Roman gave him a death glare. "Alright, alright, don't get your panties in a twist, big man."

"Where are we going, daddy?" Leni asked when her Uncle Dean yelled for Dylan, not understanding why her father was in such a hurry all of a sudden.

Ever since her mother left about an hour ago, he had been nervous and insufferable. And she didn't even know why.

"To Uncle Seth's. You're going to have a sleepover party at his house today. Isn't that awesome?" he asked his children, giving them a fake smile when he saw how excited they were about the news. They always loved spending time with their Uncle Sethie, especially Leni.

"So, what's the plan?" Dean asked after a few more minutes, Dylan's backpack hanging over his right shoulder loosely.

Roman waited for the kids to run on ahead, not needing them to hear any of this. They were way too small to understand. Plus, they would always kiss-and-tell whatever they picked up on, especially to their mommies. Roman definitely couldn't risk that.

"Karo brought the kids over earlier. She said she was going to a club with Maxine and Shan," Roman said, sounding absolutely hysterical.

"So?" Dean asked nonchalantly, not understanding why this was such a big problem for his friend. He obviously knew that his wife was out with her best friends.

"So? Are you serious? You should have seen what she looked like, Dean. She was…she looked absolutely amazing. Her dress…it was way too sexy to wear. She shouldn't wear anything like this… …outside," Roman stuttered, feeling both rage and nervousness inside of him.

"Outside?" Dean asked curiously, laughing.

"Yeah, outside. She can wear it behind closed doors or something…whatever," the Samoan mumbled, already seeing Seth's house just a few feet away from them.

"Like…for you? You know that ship has sailed a long time ago already, buddy," Dean said as a matter of fact, knowing that Roman probably didn't want to hear any of this but it simply was the truth.

"Thanks for reminding me, asshole," the Samoan replied through gritted teeth, knowing that all of this was indeed his own fault. Hadn't he cheated on Karo, she definitely would have worn that dress for him and only him.

Leni, Dylan and Siaki had already knocked on Seth's door, running into the house the moment the man with the two-toned hair opened the front door, yelling both Joan's and Hayley's name so that they could all play together.

"Okay, what the fuck is going on?" the youngest of the three asked, immediately sensing that something was wrong with Roman. "Are we having a pyjama party?"

"You are," Roman immediately replied, both him and Dean pushing their kids' overnight bags into his arms. "Please watch them tonight, Seth. I need to take care of something."

"You need to take care of something? And what would that be?" Seth asked curiously, shaking his head in defeat when he realized that he had to watch 5 kids that night. All by himself.

"Yeah, I would like to know that too," Dean added, both men looking at their friend curiously.

"I need to go to that club and…" Roman started but Dean quickly cut him off, not even letting him finish his explanation.

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a damn minute…you wanna go to that club? You tryna tell me that you wanna stalk your ex?" Dean asked disbelievingly, his eyes wide in shock. Roman couldn't be serious.

"She's not my ex," was the only thing that Roman could come up with, feeling incredibly uncomfortable with the way his two best friends were looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Yes she is, Ro. And you finally need to accept it," Seth said calmly, now turning his attention to Dean. "You know he'll go with or without you. So do me a favour and keep an eye on him."

"I'm still here, you know," Roman huffed. He hated when they acted as if he was a lovesick – and dumb – puppy.

"You know our wives will put us in the doghouse for that, right? You owe us, big man," Dean said with a heavy sigh, fist bumping Seth and silently thanking him for watching his son and the other kids.

"I didn't plan for them to find out," Roman mumbled to himself, hugging his two-toned friend tightly.

He knew he was asking a lot of them, but he was extremely grateful that they were having his back during this difficult time. He couldn't thank them enough. He could never pay them back for this, so much was clear.

 **…**

"Have you seen them already?" Roman yelled over the loud music, trying to get Dean's attention by nudging his shoulder.

They had arrived at the club about five minutes ago, both of them checking different parts of the building to try to find their wives – or to be specific – to find Karo.

Dean wasn't too thrilled about Shannon's outfit that night either, but he wasn't jealous. Not anymore. He trusted his wife, knew that she would never cheat on him. He wanted her to have fun. He actually told her to go out and enjoy herself with the girls. She was raising his son all week while he was on the road that she definitely deserved to let loose once in a while.

"No, not yet," Dean yelled back, letting his eyes roam all over the dancefloor that was full of people dancing and singing, simply enjoying themselves. He couldn't imagine having done this on a daily basis back in his Indies days. "How about we get something to drink first? I'll have a beer, you're driving. That was the deal."

"Really, dude? Can we please try to find Karo first? You'll get as many beers as you want later, I promise," the Samoan almost begged, wanting to concentrate on the task at hand. They could get something to drink later. He didn't plan on staying in that club for too long.

Dean didn't even reply, just looking at his friend expectantly. The look in his eyes alone told Roman that Dean wasn't willing to discuss this topic. He either got him something to drink or he would be out of there. It was as simple as that.

"I'll be right back. Keep your eyes open for her," the dark-haired man said, quickly making his way through the crowd of people. He definitely didn't want to lose any time. He needed to find her.

 **…**

Karolina couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun.

She normally didn't like going to this kind of clubs, knowing that it was difficult to find a place that was playing her favorite bands, or her taste in music in general.

But she felt good tonight. She felt sexy, she felt wild and she was free. It had been way too long since she felt that way. And she was enjoying every single second of it.

Maybe she also had to thank Charlie for that. Charlie, the guy who was currently pressing his strong chest against her back, whose hands were on her hips, the guy who was moving along the beats, his body close to hers.

She enjoyed his presence, enjoyed the sweet things he was whispering into her ear. She knew why he was doing it, knew where he wanted to go with this. But she didn't want to think about it too much. She wanted to cherish the moment, wanted to relish how he worshipped her like she was a goddess.

"You smell amazing," he mumbled against her skin, his nose nuzzled into her neck.

He pressed his crotch against her ass, wanting to let her feel what the movements of her hips were doing to him. She gasped when she felt his hardness through the thin material of her dress, swallowing hard when she realized that she was still able to have that effect on another man. It felt good, it felt really good.

When he first approached her earlier that evening, she was unsure of what to do. Her plan had been to have a little fun with her girls. She had just decided that she wanted to move on. A man certainly didn't fit into her life at the moment. She still needed to clear and settle things with her husband before she could get involved with another man again.

But one look at Shannon and Maxine immediately and unmistakably let her know that they were fully supportive of her decision to have a little fun with a stranger. She might have been a mother of two children, she might have been married for a couple of years now, but she was still a young woman. A woman with needs.

"And you feel fucking amazing," she admitted, not wanting to deny the fact that IT had been way too long already.

She yelped when he suddenly turned her body around, pressing his forehead softly against hers, looking deep into her eyes.

Speedy's 'Sientelo' was currently blasting through the loudspeakers of the club, the heavy beats making the whole building vibrate. She was completely forgetting about the world around her.

The lack of fresh air and the amount of alcohol she had already consumed probably made her feel the way she did. For just a few minutes she forgot about the mess that was her life. She forgot about Roman, the cheating bastard that she called her husband. She forgot about her two children who wanted their mommy and daddy back together. This was about her now. About her and her alone. And boy, did that feel amazing.

"Boy I know that I wanna feel your body tonight. For that shit that you're talking you know it`d better be right . Boy I know that I wanna feel your body tonight, for that shit that you're talking you know it'd better be right," she quietly sang the lyrics to him, seductively moving her hips to the beat, her eyes never leaving his.

His breathing was shallow, he was swallowing hard. What was she doing to him?

He looked back and forth between her eyes and lips, silently asking her if it was okay for him to kiss her. Maybe he just should have done it. Maybe he didn't even need to ask for permission, but he wanted to make sure that he was not going to get bitch-slapped by her in front of everybody else.

He was taken aback when he suddenly felt her lips on his, surprised that it was her that initiated the kiss after all. They felt so soft, so perfect on his own. He could only imagine how they would feel like wrapped around his dick later on that night.

She was even bold enough to trace his bottom lip with her tongue, gently and softly asking for entrance. He didn't need to think twice, immediately parting his lips to let her tongue enter his mouth, both of them becoming entangled in a heated and passionate kiss.

She tasted even better than how she felt. He knew he would have a hard time getting out of that club without everybody seeing that he had a hard-on. Maybe he would even take her in the bathroom. Why waste time? She seemed to need it badly.

But he just couldn't help the feeling that they were being watched.

 **…**

Dean couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, hoping that he was dreaming.

Was that really Karo kissing a stranger? Was that THEIR Karolina? It couldn't be. She wouldn't do anything like that. He really didn't want to believe it. Deep down, he had hoped that she was still in love with Roman. That she would only give him a hard time for a few weeks and maybe even months, but that in the end, she would eventually forgive him. But that certainly didn't look like it. Not anymore.

He tried to hide when the guy suddenly looked his way, as if he could feel that he was being observed.

He looked him dead in the eye for a few short seconds before turning his attention back to Karolina, whispering something into her ear before they both once again started swaying their hips to the beat of the music. He really hoped that this guy hadn't recognized him. He didn't even know if that dude knew who Karo was. It had been a few years since she wrestled, but she was still very well-known in the wrestling business.

"There you go. Took me ages to get that fucking beer," Roman grumbled, handing his best friend a bottle of Budweiser before taking a sip of his own drink – alcohol-free, of course. "Have you found her by now?"

"I don't think they're here, dude. Maybe they chose to go to another club. Let's get going," Dean quickly replied, not wanting Roman to see any of this. He knew he would completely freak out.

He wanted to push him towards the entrance, but Roman didn't move an inch, sensing that his friend was nervous all of a sudden.

"We've been here for less than 10 minutes. Relax, dude. We'll find them," Roman insisted, once again looking around the dancefloor, knowing that dancing was what the girls were there for, so he was sure to find them there, if nowhere else.

At the same time, Karolina was giggling about one of Charlie's jokes, his hands still on her hips, both of them now dancing to the beat of Nelly's 'Hot in herre', the room temperature rising minute by minute. He really couldn't wait to get out of there with her. He was hungry for her.

"Do you know this dude over there? He's watching us the whole time. Fucking annoying…," Charlie yelled into her ear so that she could hear him, once again feeling somebody's eyes on them.

Karo moved her head back a little, looking around to see who he might be talking about. Her heart stopped beating for a second when she spotted both Dean and Roman. Thankfully they were not looking their way right now, and if she wasn't completely wrong, it probably must have been Dean who had been watching them beforehand. Otherwise Roman most definitely would have been on his way towards them by now.

"Come on, Roman. We're just wasting our time, man," Dean claimed, swallowing hard when he suddenly felt how his best friend's body tensed up, his whole demeanor changing immediately. He must have found her.

It was the moment that Roman's eyes locked onto hers that she knew shit was about to go down. And it was funny that she didn't even care. She didn't care that he saw her with another man. She didn't care whether he was jealous or angry. He deserved it. He deserved to see her enjoy herself with somebody else. And she would pay him back for all the pain he had put her through.

"Never seen him before," she said to Charlie, turning her attention back to him, a seductive smile on her face. "Where did we stop?"

She once again pressed her soft lips onto his, their tongues once again fighting for dominance in a kiss that was even more passionate and furious than the one before. And she couldn't help but open her eyes, looking over Charlie's shoulder to stare directly at Roman. She could feel the anger that was radiating from his body. She could feel it although he was at the other end of the room. And that definitely meant something.

Roman felt as if he was paralyzed. He felt numb, as if he couldn't move. His wife, his beautiful wife. The mother of his children. She was kissing another man. And what hurt even more was the fact that she did it on purpose. When this realization hit him, the hurt was soon gone, being replaced by anger.

"Roman…," Dean warned, knowing what his Samoan friend was about to do. He didn't want to cause any trouble. They were both well-known, seeing as they were on TV a couple of times a week. WWE would punish them both if they were involved in a club fight. They wouldn't get away with it that easily.

"You knew she was here. You knew she was making out with that asshole," he said through gritted teeth, not even caring if Dean could hear him or not. He couldn't look away. It was as if he was watching a car accident. He wanted to turn away, but he simply couldn't.

But it wasn't even over yet.

Charlie slowly moved his hands to her ass, squeezing her bulky cheeks, making her moan into his mouth. Her eyes were still fixed on Roman, noticing how his eyes were following Charlie's every movement. She pushed herself even closer to him, now once again closing her eyes when she felt his rock-hard erection close to her mound.

"I'm going to kill that motherfucker," Roman yelled all of a sudden, pushing Dean to the side.

The short-haired man managed to grab his friend's arm just in time, stopping him from making a big mistake.

"Let the fuck go," he screamed with so much hatred in his eyes that Dean was taken aback, maybe even in shock. But he wouldn't budge.

"I swear to God, Roman. Leave her alone. You have no right to…," he started but Roman was having none of it.

"You don't fucking tell me what to do. My wife is m…," he began but this time it was Dean who stopped him mid-sentence.

"You guys are done, Roman. Get it into your thick skull already," the younger man exclaimed, still trying to hold his friend back.

Roman once again looked into Karo's direction, Dean's words and the image of his wife making out with another man making him even more furious. He once again tried to break free from Dean's grip, screaming in frustration when his friend would in no case let go of him.

"Just stop it. Let's fucking go now," Dean yelled at him, in a moment of weakness pushing the bigger man back, almost making him stumble.

"I fucking hate you," he screamed at Dean, turning his attention back to Karo. "That bitch…that asshole. I swear to God I'm gonna kill him."

The commotion must have been so disturbing that several guests actually called for security. Dean was thankful for their help, with three people finally able to get Roman out of the club and into 'safety'. The short-haired man very well knew that Roman would be true to his words, at least trying to kill this guy Karo was making out with.

One thing was for sure though: this wasn't over yet. And this would definitely be a looong way back home.


	19. The big blow-up

**_I would like to thank LetitReigns525, Ctinaisfashion, lourdes1694, fenner82, mitchy21, Micah, Shannon5288, angelsdee327, CheekyClaudine, BlondieC82, Lilygirl95, CarolReigns, Samantha, WickedRedRose22, Solosunni, Insane Cali Gurl, , SPARKELS77, Reignsbabee, Beastielife and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter._**

 ** _A special shout-out goes out to BlondieC82 for sending me these very encouraging and nice private messages :) Thank you, hun._**

 ** _Onto the next chapter…enjoy & review!_**

 ** _..._**

 **Chapter 19: The big blow-up**

On their way back home from the club, Roman had destroyed several trash cans, had woken up half the neighbourhood due to all the screaming and cursing and had almost punched Dean straight into his face for being a so-called shitty friend.

That was two days ago.

Roman was home now, cuddled up on the couch with Leni and Siaki clinging onto him, all three of them watching some cartoons on TV. Karo was supposed to pick them up in a few minutes. At least that was what they had agreed on before _that_ fateful night took place.

He hadn't heard from her ever since. He also hadn't bothered to text or call her. He was way too mad at her to do so. Plus, he didn't want that ugly bastard to pick up her phone in case he was still with her. He didn't even want to think about that guy fucking his wife on their marital bed. The very thought disgusted him.

"Daddy, when will you move back into our house?" Leni asked out of nowhere, surprising him with her question.

But truth be told? He didn't know. He had no idea, doubted that he would ever live with them again. Not after what happened two days ago. This must for sure have been the final curtain call.

He turned his head slightly to look at his beautiful daughter, his heart breaking for her. He knew she missed him dearly, wanted him to be back home with them. And he felt the same way. He wanted to see his kids grow up, wanted to be around them whenever he was home. He wanted his old life back. But he wasn't sure if fighting for Karo was still worth it. He had eventually lost his strength.

"I don't know, princess. Mommy and daddy are still fighting a lot. You know, sometimes there are things adults need to talk about, things they need to resolve. That takes time," he tried to explain, making it as simple for her as possible.

"That's taking a lot of time already," she said as a matter of fact, brushing a strand of hair out of his face as it fell out of his messy ponytail. She still loved playing with her daddy's hair.

Roman couldn't help but chuckle, knowing that she said things the way she saw them. He couldn't blame her though. It was true. It had been months already. She was getting impatient. And so was he.

"I think mommy misses you," Siaki said nonchalantly, as if it didn't mean anything, not even looking into his direction but continuously staring at the TV while munching on his banana.

"You think so?" he asked his son, ruffling his short blond hair lovingly.

"She sometimes tells Aunt Shannon. And Aunt Shannon then says that you're an asshole and that mommy needs to forget about you," Leni mumbled, answering for her brother. She had her mouth stuffed with chocolate so Roman had to listen closely to even understand her properly.

Roman took a deep and heavy breath, mad at Shannon for calling him an asshole in front of his kids. But maybe she didn't even do it on purpose. He was sure that his kids were constantly eavesdropping when the adults were talking.

"I miss your mommy too, you know? But sometimes grown-ups fight so much that they need some time apart," he explained further, hoping that they wouldn't ask any more questions. He didn't have the answers. And he also didn't know how to explain this to them. It wasn't that easy, not at all.

Just in that moment the doorbell rang, signalling that Karo had just arrived. The kids were so caught up with the TV that they didn't move an inch, letting their father get up to open the door. He could only shake his head with an amused grin on his face.

His mood changed for the worse the moment he saw his wife, the image of her making out with a stranger in the club not leaving his mind.

"Are they ready to leave?" she asked curtly, not in the mood for small talk.

Roman just looked at her disbelievingly, not believing that she was acting as if nothing had happened.

"Leni, Siaki, please turn off the TV and put on your shoes. Mommy's here," Roman yelled, not even turning around, just staring at Karo who seemed to feel uncomfortable under his stare. She wasn't even able to look at him. "So, you had fun this weekend? Enjoyed yourself to the fullest?"

"That's none of your business," she said in annoyance, sighing heavily. Right at that very moment she hated that her kids were once again dawdling.

"That's none of my business, huh? It damn sure is my business. You're my wife and I t...," he started, already boiling with rage again. But Karo didn't even let him finish talking, not with the way he was acting towards her.

"You're such a hypocrite, Reigns. It's fucking ridiculous," she said through gritted teeth, relieved when she saw that her children were finally approaching. "Hey...look at my babies...did you have a good time with daddy? Did you guys have fun?"

She was hugging her kids tightly when Roman cleared his throat to make his presence well-known, angering Karo so much that she had to bite her lip not to scream at him in front of their children. She was so sick of his behaviour, so sick of him all of a sudden acting as if he was the victim here.

"Why don't you two go down to the playground already? Mommy and daddy still need to talk about something real quick. I'll help mommy with your backpacks in a few," Roman said to his children, ruffling both of their hair with a genuine smile on his face, completely ignoring the annoyed look Karo was giving him.

They both pecked their father's lips quickly before finally going down the stairs, hand in hand, as Leni was still very overprotective when it came to her little brother. It was quite an adorable thing to witness. But the very moment they both turned to face each other again, all the cuteness was gone in an instant.

"Let's go inside," he demanded, already turning around to enter his apartment. But he quickly realized that Karo wasn't following him. He looked at her expectantly, raising his eyebrows. "Whatcha waiting for?"

"I'm sure this won't take long. We might as well discuss this here," she said indifferently, crossing her arms in front of her chest, even tapping her right foot to let him know that she was not interested in talking to him.

Roman took a deep breath, not wanting to lose his composure in the hallway for everybody to hear. She was provoking him on purpose, knowing exactly how to push his buttons. And she was doing a damn good job at it.

"Fine...yeah...why not? We might as well discuss this here...," he agreed mockingly, leaning against the doorframe, looking at her intently. "So, do you actually think you're a good role model for our children? Going into clubs dressed like a whore, picking up some stranger? I don't want my children to grow up with their mother bringing home numerous guys, not knowing if he might be their new step-daddy or not."

"Are you serious right now?" she asked incredulously, looking at him in shock. He just flat out called her a whore. She couldn't believe it.

"I hope you at least had the decency to remove every trace of the wild weekend you had with your boy toy. I think our kids have enough on their plate as it is, they don't need to witness anything like that. Or is he still at the house, waiting for you guys to come home?" he continued, talking himself into a rage. He didn't even realize he was being unreasonable.

"What the hell are you even talking about?" she scoffed, raising her voice slightly. He had no right to talk to her like that. Who the hell did he think he was, cheating on her for months only to play the upholder of moral standards now?

"I can't believe you're selling yourself so cheap, Karolina. I've always thought of you as a lady of class. Okay...right...I almost forgot...maybe we shouldn't mention the sex tape with Drew, but other th...," he started, now hitting below the belt and thereby socking her in the gut.

Without a warning, Karo slapped him across the face so hard that the sound echoed throughout the hallway, his hand immediately holding the cheek she had hit, the stinging making his body shake – with surprise and anger.

"What the f...," he mumbled to himself, looking at her outraged. What had gotten into her?

"Don't fucking talk to me like that. You have no right to act the way you do. You should see yourself, Roman. Acting all jealous, thinking you're the shit. You're nothing. You're nobody to me anymore. You don't get to tell me what to do, who to meet...or how to dress. This is my life. MY LIFE! And the only reason you're still a part of it is because of our children. If it wasn't for them, you would be out of it, just like that," she yelled, clicking her fingers in front of his face to prove her point. "You are the only one to blame for all of this. You are the one that cheated on me. You've been the one betraying us, lying to us. So don't play the victim now. Don't act as if I'm fucking things up when it's been you and you alone."

She didn't even realize that she was crying by now. But she wasn't crying because she was sad. No, she was crying because she was angry. Angry and hurt.

She hadn't even slept with Charlie that night, had dumped him just moments after she saw that Dean and Roman were escorted out of the club by Security. She knew the time hadn't been right to have sex with a stranger. But Roman didn't need to know that. She even wanted him to think that she had sex with Charlie. She wanted to hit him where it hurt him the most: His male pride.

"You know what? If that's what you think, if this is how you feel...we might as well end this for good now," he yelled back, rearing up to make himself look even bigger. "Let's stop fighting for something that's not even worth it anymore. Let's forget about the past, let's move on. I don't wanna waste my fucking time on you anymore. You're so fucking bitter, Karolina. If you really loved me, you would have forgiven me by now. But you j..."

"If you really loved ME, you wouldn't have cheated, Roman. Stop blaming me for this, just fucking stop," she screamed, tears still streaming down on her face. She couldn't believe this was happening.

People were already gathering in the hallway, wondering what was going on and where all the commotion was coming from. They even yelled at them, telling them to go back into the apartment, threatening them to call the police shouldn't they stop. But neither Roman nor Karolina could hear them. It was just the two of them and nobody else.

"We're done. It's over," she said in defeat, slowly realizing that this very fight had been the last straw. Her heart was heavy in her chest, but maybe it was about time to accept that there was no future for them anymore. "I'll talk to my lawyer. You're gonna hear from him in the next couple of weeks. Text me if you want to see the kids."

And with that she just turned around, wanting to get out of there as fast as possible. She forgot about the backpacks, she forgot about Roman wanting to tell the kids goodbye. She'd had enough. She was at the end of her rope, not wanting to see him anymore.

She would file for divorce. Irreconcilable differences. Just like the good old Hollywood stars would do it. It was time to give up, it was time to stop fighting. Karolina and Roman: it was a thing of the past. For good.

 **...**

"Where are we going, Seth?" Maxine asked for the umpteen times already, sitting on the passenger seat next to her husband – blindfolded.

"I told you it's a surprise. Just be a little more patient, woman," he said with a chuckle, loving how she just pouted. She was too damn adorable.

"Do you think it's a good idea to have Ambrose watch the kids tonight?" she asked him, letting him think she wouldn't ask again where they were headed but she definitely would do so again.

"He owes me, big time. Plus, Shannon's around as well. It's going to be fine. We deserve some quality-time with each other," he replied, realizing once again that ever since Roman and Karolina had split, all the others were struggling as well. It wasn't fair. And he wanted to do something about it.

It was silent for a few minutes and Seth couldn't help but smile to himself. He knew his wife. He knew her better than anybody else. And he was just counting the seconds until she would ask again. And he didn't have to wait long.

"Soooo...will you tell me now? Where are we going?" she asked desperately, sighing extremely heavily in a playful manner when her husband starting laughing. "You won't tell me, will you? God, you know how much I hate surprises."

"You'll love this one. Just trust me, alright?" he asked, knowing that she definitely trusted him but maybe she would shut up for another few minutes after this. He could already see their destination in the far distance.

"You're not playing fair. Just imagine I would blindfold you. You wouldn't like that at all," she mumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest, still pouting. She didn't even realize that she actually threw the ball in his court.

"Ohhh, how wrong you are, angel...how wrong you are. I would definitely enjoy being blindfolded by you, only for you to have your wicked way with me," he said with a grin, and although she couldn't see it, she most definitely could hear it in the way he had said those words.

She looked into his direction, a mischievous smile on her face. She really wanted to peek through the thin fabric of the scarf that was covering her eyes, but she knew he wouldn't like that at all. He seemingly put a lot of effort into his surprise.

"Sounds tempting. Be careful what you wish for though...we'll see if I like your surprise or not and maybe...just maybe...you just might get it," she said teasingly, biting her bottom lip seductively, exactly knowing that he would see it. And the groan that escaped his lips just affirmed her assumptions.

It was a few minutes later that Seth finally stopped the car, killing the engine when he parked it in the spot that was reserved for him. He was excited, maybe even a little nervous. He really hoped his wife liked what he had planned for them.

"Gimme a sec. I'll open the door for you," he said excitedly, jumping out of the car to rush to the other side, opening the door for her, taking her right hand into his. "Okay, be careful...take your time."

He paid extra attention that she wouldn't hit her head, taking both of her hands when she was finally standing, gently leading her away from the car so that he could close the door and lock it. She kept grumping and bitching about wanting to know where they were and what they were about to do, but Seth just smiled to himself, shaking his head in amusement.

"Mr Rollins, glad you could make it," she heard a young man say, sensing that Seth must have shaken the man's hand as he let go of her. "So, I assume this is a surprise for your wife?"

"It indeed is. And if I don't tell her what we're going to do now, she's probably going to kill me. And I'm definitely too young to die," he joked, laughing out loud when Maxine groaned, saying that she was right there with him. She didn't like when people talked about her when she was in their close proximity.

"Can somebody please unblindfold me now?" she asked, not understanding why Seth was laughing even harder now. "What's so funny?"

"That's totally something Karo would say. No proper English. You definitely spend too much time with her," he clarified, wiping his eyes when she mumbled to herself that Karo's English was way better than this. "Okay, you're ready?"

"I've been ready ever since you told me to get into the car about 30 minutes ago," she replied, feeling his hands on the back of her head, desperately waiting for him to eventually take the scarf off of her eyes.

"Okay...here we go," he stated, and with that, he finally freed her eyes, giving her a few seconds to accommodate to the brightness of the sky before expecting to get a reaction.

She gasped when she realized what he had prepared for them, covering her mouth with her free hand before looking back at Seth, her eyes wide in shock. "Oh my God...Seth...that's...we're going to..."

"Yes, you and me...and Mike over here," he said with a chuckle, pointing to the young man that waved at her with a silly smile on his face. "He makes sure we're not going to crash and die."

She turned back around again, taking another look at the most beautiful hot-air balloon she had ever seen in her life. She was totally taken aback – in a good way. She couldn't believe he had organized something like that.

"You won't even notice that I'm there," Mike promised, winking at Maxine before fist-bumping Seth. "You guys ready to go? The sun is about to set. You wouldn't want to miss it."

Maxine wasn't even able to form a coherent sentence, just letting Seth lead the way. He helped her climb into the car of the balloon, making her laugh when he himself stumbled into it, almost falling flat on his face. He was so goofy, and that was what she loved about him the most.

She needed this, they both needed this. And she was happy that he took the time to do this for her, for them. She knew her kids were in good hands, knew that she could trust both Dean and Shannon with her girls so that she would be able to enjoy this to the fullest. With her husband, the love of her life.

"This is just amazing, Seth," she said when they were finally making their way up in the air, the two-toned-haired man standing close behind her, his arms wrapped around her midsection lovingly. "I've always dreamed about doing something like this."

Seth nuzzled his nose into her hair, inhaling her scent deeply. He cherished this, he cherished this moment so much. Just having her in his arms, the sun setting right before their eyes. This must have been the most romantic thing he had ever done and experienced. And learning that it was one of her dreams he could fulfil made him even happier.

"I'm glad you like it," he mumbled, kissing her temple softly, tightening his arms around her a little more. "I just wish Mike wasn't here so that I could ravish you right now."

Maxine peeped into Mike's direction sheepishly, even blushing a little when he locked eyes with her for a brief moment. She was glad he seemingly didn't hear any of this. She would have been really embarrassed.

"But he is here. So behave, Mr Rollins," she whispered, shaking her head in amusement when he chuckled close to her ear.

No words were spoken for a long time after that. And there was no need to talk either. Everything was perfect. The colors of the sky, the setting sun, Seth's arms around her waist, his steady heartbeat that she could feel against her back as he had his strong chest pressed against it, the way he breathed into her ear, how he every now and then placed sweet kisses on her temple and the top of her head.

"I love you so much," she whispered about twenty minutes later, the time flying. The sun was about to set for good, the balloon slowly losing height, foot by foot approaching earth again. She didn't want this to end. She didn't want this to ever end again.

"I love you more...to the moon and back...given that there is no other planet even farther away," he said, making her giggle. It was music to his ears, it always was. "Are you going to blindfold me tonight?"

She couldn't help but burst out laughing now, loving how sincere he sounded when he asked her that. She loved that he was always able to make her laugh. No matter how sad or depressed she was, he always seemed to find the right words to cheer her up again.

"Only if you let me punish you with my wooden paddle," she answered him, just as sincere.

He spun her around in his arms, facing her now, his eyes wide open in shock. "You have wooden paddles?"

"No, but I have a rolling pin," she replied, giggling to herself when he huffed.

"I want you to spank me, not beat me up," he scoffed, swallowing hard when somebody behind him cleared their throat.

"I'm still here guys," Mike noted almost sheepishly, giving them both a fake smile when they looked his way. "I just pretend I didn't hear any of this, ok?"

Without even answering the younger man, Seth turned back around to face his wife, his face as red as a tomato. He was extremely embarrassed about the whole situation. He really wished the ground would swallow him up. It was too bad he was up in the air at the moment though.

"Let's just hope he's not into gossip much. I would hate to read this on TMZ tomorrow," Seth mumbled, pouting when Maxine giggled. He was serious about it this time.

She softly cupped his face with both of her hands, pecking his lips sweetly. He was so adorkable. He always tried to be such a tough guy but deep inside he was the most sensitive and thoughtful man she had ever met. And she wouldn't change it for the world.

"No rolling pins tonight, ok?" he whispered so that only she could hear it. "But the blindfold...that I would really like."

And how could she deny him anything when he looked at her like that? Her puppy Rollins.


	20. Falling apart

**I would like to thank Lilygirl95, BlondieC82, Ctinaisfashion, lourdes1694, reignsbabee, WickedRedRose22, Micah, Samantha, LetitReigns525, designrwriterchi, CarolReigns, mitchy21, fenner82, SPARKELS77, Insane Cali Gurl, benova13, Shannon5288 and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Guys…you are AWESOME! This is by far my most popular story. More than 400 reviews. THANK YOU! Thanks to each and every one of you. I can't thank you enough. It means so much to me.**

 **But enough blahblah from me now. Enjoy & review the new chapter :)**

 **...**

 **Chapter 20: Falling apart**

 _If I loved you a little bit longer  
If my love was a little bit stronger  
Would you stay, stay?  
Baby, please stay_

 _If I granted all of your wishes_  
 _Give you more than touches and kisses_  
 _Would you stay, stay?_  
 _I need you to stay_

Karolina was startled when all of a sudden the music was turned off, her head immediately turning around to see Seth standing in the far corner of her bedroom. She didn't know how he was able to get inside, her emotional state even making her forget that he actually had a key to her house. Thank God her kids were in kindergarten and nursery school respectively.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, sweetheart?" he asked softly, making his way over to where she was laying on the bed, sweeping away the used tissues that were surrounding her so that he could lay down behind her, his arms immediately wrapping themselves around her midsection, hugging her tightly.

Karo just got back from her appointment with the lawyer. And the very moment she realized that she had indeed filed for divorce was the moment she completely lost it. So much that she had the need to pity herself with Destiny's Child's _'Stay'_.

"It hurts so much, Seth. So fucking much," she sobbed, her whole body shaking. Seth's heart broke for her.

She had told him that she would have this appointment. He knew that it would hurt her emotionally to eventually take that next and final step. And as much as it saddened him for both Roman and Karolina, he knew it was the only way to go. They needed to move on, needed to let the past go. Not only for them, but for their children as well.

"But I thought you wanted this?" he more stated than asked, loosening the grip on her slightly when she wanted to move around to face him. Her eyes were blood-shot, her cheeks flushed and swollen. She must have been crying a lot already.

"I do...I do want this. But...it's just...this is it, Seth. There is no turning back anymore. I know it's the right decision though. He's hurt me beyond comprehension. He betrayed not only me but our kids as well. We can't fix this anymore. I just...am I not allowed to mourn over a failed marriage?" she asked, no one in particular though, tears still streaming down her face.

She knew she couldn't talk to Shannon about this. All Shannon had been doing the last couple of months was trashing Roman. And as much as Karolina appreciated this, as much as it felt good to bad-mouth and insult her soon to be ex-husband, she was still hurt over everything that had happened and just needed to cry and feel sorry for herself. Seth was the only one that would understand, and so was Dean. They would never judge her.

"Of course you are. Let it all out, cry as much as you want," he agreed, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "But Destiny's Child? Really?"

His heart leaped for joy when she giggled in between sobs, happy that he could at least make her smile a little.

"I tend to listen to these cheesy-ass songs when I'm in this kinda mood," she admitted, letting Seth wipe away the tears with this thumb. "Andrews, the lawyer...he will prepare the documents today. Roman might already get them tomorrow."

Seth didn't know what to say, didn't know what she even expected him to say. It was a delicate issue and he didn't want to hurt her with whatever he would come up with. So he remained silent, waiting for her to continue. But maybe she didn't even want to talk anymore. Maybe she just really wanted to cry, needing someone to be there for her in her darkest hour. And he would be there for her. Every minute, every second of the day. She could call him in the middle of the night and he would make his way over to her place in record time. That was how much she meant to him. And he was happy that Maxine supported him all the way, no questions asked.

"I don't want this to end up in a custody battle or some kind of war. I'm willing to end this on good terms. He can see his children whenever he wants to. It's not fair to punish Leni and Siaki for something their parents fucked up. I don't want his money, he can have this house back. I'll go back to work. Stephanie and Hunter have more than once offered me to be a coach at the performance center. I might move to Tampa with the kids, we c..."

"Hey...whoa...wait a minute. I get that you don't want his support...financially. And I understand that you want to be independent and start all over again. But do you think that running away is the solution to your current problems?" Seth asked, surprised that she seemed to be so determined to do all of this on her own. She knew that they would all help her out, one way or another, so why did she want to leave Pensacola so badly?

"It would be running away if I took the kids to go back to San Francisco. Or maybe even back to Germany. I'm staying in Florida though," she defended herself, knowing that Seth wouldn't be happy about her plans. But this wasn't about him, it was about her and her kids.

"Taking your kids out of their familiar surroundings is like running away, Karolina. They have to switch to another kindergarten and school, they'll lose their friends...we...we all won't be in walking distance anymore. What about Sika and Patty? What about Roman? He's on the road all week, only back two or three days to see his kids. And you expect him to come to Tampa all the time?" he wondered aloud, raising his eyebrows when she huffed.

"Do you actually think I still care about Roman's feelings? Nope, that ship has sailed a long time ago," she retorted, slowly sitting up to blow her nose. The tears were finally subsiding. She was more angry than sad now.

Seth knew that he was being selfish. Because it was obvious that HE was the one that didn't want her, didn't want them, to move away. She was his best friend. He didn't want to imagine a life without her in it, even if she would just be living a few hours away.

"Let's...let's just wait and see what happens. I mean...it will take some time to finalize the divorce anyways, right? A lot can happen in the meantime," he concluded, trying to sound positive, not yet knowing just how right he was about his assumptions.

 **...**  
 _  
There's a light shining on you  
And baby, I'm trembling inside  
Loved a woman that I barely knew  
I must have been out of my mind_

 _Oh I, I'll never hurt you again_  
 _Girl I, I know you deserve a better man_  
 _Hey I, I was a fool to ever let you down_  
 _So why would you stay?_

She had done it, she had really done it. She had filed for divorce.

Roman was reading the letter over and over again, regretting that he had even opened the door for the mailman earlier that day. He should have just stayed in bed. What a fucked up day it had been already.

'We both want to request for dissolution of our marriage' it said. 'Our marriage is irretrievably broken' was another thing that was stated in the letter. It broke his heart into a million pieces.

 _Woman, I beg your forgiveness  
And I'll do whatever it takes  
And may the Lord be my witness  
Honey, I never meant to treat you this way_

 _Sugar, your heart has been broken_  
 _But I can still see true love shine in your eyes_  
 _When every word has been spoken_  
 _Woman, I'll love you for the rest of my life_

This made everything so ultimate, so irrevocable. It made him sick to his stomach, made his heart feel heavy in his chest.

Yes, they had both – more or less – agreed to end this for good. It was for the best, not only for them but for Leni and Siaki as well. It had gone back and forth between them for the last couple of months. And each and every time they were starting to be civil around each other, he had said something to piss her off and bring them back to their starting point. It was a vicious circle.

It was his fault. Everything was his fault. Why had he even given in? Why had he even indulged? So many questions, but no answers.

The worst thing was that he knew that Karolina still loved him. He could see it in her eyes, could see it in the way she acted when he was around. And although she loved him, she didn't trust him anymore. And he couldn't even blame her. He had broken her heart, had ripped it out of her chest and stomped on it over and over again.

He was a sorry excuse of a man, a true piece of shit. He had nobody to blame but himself. He just wished he could undo it all. Wished he could turn back the hands of time and get his old life back. He wanted to hold his wife in his arms, wanted to be woken up by his children on a Sunday morning, all four of them staying in bed to watch cartoons and cuddle.

But he lost that privilege the moment he had taken his phone into his hand to dial Cassandra's number all these months ago.

 _Oh I, I'll never hurt you again  
Girl I, I know you deserve a better man  
Hey I, I was a fool to ever let you down  
So why would you stay?_

 _Oh baby, don't know why_  
 _Why you would stay_  
 _Baby, baby, you're my baby_  
 _Hey girl, yeah_

 _I, I'll never hurt you again_  
 _Girl I, I know you deserve a better man_  
 _Girl I, I was a fool to ever let you down_  
 _But I want you to stay_

 _Girl I, I'll never hurt you again_  
 _Baby, I know you deserve a better man_  
 _Girl I, girl I, I was a fool to ever let you down_  
 _But I want you to stay_

 _(Song by Kem - 'Why would you stay')_

Cassandra. She had never contacted him ever again. Had never called, had never texted. It surprised him. He really thought that she would be a little more persistent.

He had to admit that he thought of her as an option once. He was alone now. He felt lonely. He needed love. Needed attention. He was just a man with needs. He was such a douchebag for even thinking like that.

But he knew that she was no option. She also wasn't the solution. She was the beginning of the end. She was the one that had ruined his marriage, the one that had ruined his life. It wasn't her fault alone though. Actually, it wasn't her fault at all. He knew that very well.

All Roman wanted was to have his wife back. He wanted to fight for Karolina. So even thinking about Cassie as being an option, about being a consolation, about being a rebound...it wasn't fair. Neither for her nor for his wife.

But now that Karo had filed for divorce, he would eventually stop fighting. He had given up. It wasn't worth it anymore. He had finally accepted it.

The only thing that mattered now was his career and his kids. Nothing else.

He would sign the papers later that day. He needed a session in the gym first. That would probably distract him for a little while. At least he hoped so.

 **...**

As Seth and Maxine had decided to make a short trip with their kids to visit his parents in Iowa, Dean and Shannon had invited Karo, Leni and Siaki for dinner, knowing that the German native needed some moral support now that she had indeed filed for divorce from Roman.

"You want some dessert?" Dean asked Karolina after clearing away the table, already having put the dirty plates into the dishwater. "And I'm not talking about letting you lick some hot chocolate sauce and whipped cream off of my well-toned and perfect body."

Karo couldn't help but giggle, swatting Dean's chest when he playfully bit her earlobe, looking sheepishly into Shannon's direction who then pointed two of her fingers first at her eyes and then towards Karo, non-verbally letting her know that she was watching them. She couldn't help but burst out laughing when the blonde-haired woman looked at her fearfully.

"It's okay, sweetheart. No need to pee your pants. I know how my husband works," Shannon clarified, winking at her friend.

"Mommy, did you pee your pants?" Leni asked confused, the kids not having noticed what was happening between the adults.

"No, honey. Auntie Shannon was just joking around. Eat your ice-cream," Karo replied with a smirk, ruffling her daughter's hair lovingly. She looked just like her father, a spitting image of him. It was incredible.

When the kids had finished their dessert, they went up to Dylan's room to play with his toys, giving the three grown-ups some time to catch up and talk about what was really going on. Karo still needed to tell her children that their father was never going to live with them again. She was still waiting for the right moment, but knew deep down that there was no such thing.

"So, did he call? Text? Anything?" Shannon asked the moment the kids were out of eye- and earshot.

"Really, Shan? Can we talk about something else first?" Dean groaned, hating that his wife once again went like a bull at a gate. "Like...the weather?"

"The weather? Are you serious?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow disbelievingly.

Karolina looked back and forth between Dean and Shannon, amused about how they were bickering with each other. She knew that Shannon was naturally curious and that Dean wanted to protect Karo from the never-ending questions as much as he could, but it was adorable to see them like that.

"It's ok, Dean. It's not like I don't know how my bestie over there can be annoying as fuck if she wants to know something," Karo said with a chuckle, taking a deep breath before turning her attention towards Shannon to answer her question. "No, he hasn't contacted me. Not at all. But I honestly didn't expect him to."

"What a coward," Shannon huffed, sipping some of her white wine.

"What do you expect him to do, huh? Call Karo to tell her how happy he was to receive the divorce papers? Do you expect him to call and say 'thank you'?" Dean asked annoyed, understanding where his wife was coming from but it was his best friend they were talking about. He needed to defend him when the Samoan wasn't around to do it himself.

"Whoa...relax. Why do you feel so attacked all of a sudden? I was just stating my opinion," Shannon retorted, raising her hands in defence. Dean should know by now how she was feeling towards Roman.

Dean gulped down some of his beer before wiping his mouth, sighing heavily. "He called me this afternoon."

Karolina looked at Dean expectantly, hoping that he would give away a little more than just that. She knew she shouldn't care, knew that it was none of her business what Roman told his friend in confidence. But she was just too damn curious.

"So?" Shannon demanded, asking the very question that was on the tip of Karo's tongue.

"He just told me about receiving the letter," Dean lied, shrugging his shoulders innocently before finishing his beer. He wanted to get up to get another one, but Shannon quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him down to sit back on the couch again.

"And we both know that's not all," the brown-haired woman said, looking at her husband intently.

Dean groaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Why did he even mention that Roman called him? He was such a dumbass sometimes.

"You don't have to tell us, Dean. It's okay. I completely understand," Karolina tried to save the day, knowing that the short-haired man didn't want to betray Roman's trust by spilling the beans.

Dean nodded his head at Karolina gratefully, once again getting up to leave for the kitchen, now more than urgently needing a new Budweiser. He was such a shitty friend sometimes.

"Just stop, Shan. Please. You're getting him into a predicament," Karo begged, appreciating that her friend was having her back all the way, but this was not her battle to fight. And she certainly shouldn't get into trouble with her husband because of her demise with Roman.

"I just want to p...," she started, but Karo cut her off mid-sentence, exactly knowing what she was about to say.

"I understand. And I really appreciate it. But I don't want you guys to fight because of what happened between me and Roman. I know it's difficult right now, for all of us. But I hope and think that one day we can all spend time together again without being at war with one another. It just takes time. We've all been friends for so many years. I don't want any of you to have the feeling that you need to decide whose side you are on. Don't despise Roman for something he did to me. Don't blame your husband for defending his best friend. I know you all care for me. Nobody is happy about what's going on. But you need to accept and respect that Dean and Seth have been best friends with Roman for much longer. They are brothers. I don't expect anything from you. All I need is for you all to support me in my decisions. That doesn't include taking sides," Karo explained, not wanting to be the reason for everybody else to fight and not get along.

"How sad is it that you of all people need to be the voice of reason when it was you that's been fucked over," Shannon mumbled, more to herself than to anybody else. She sighed heavily, only now realizing how foolish she had acted all these months.

"He was devastated," someone said all of a sudden, both women turning around to see Dean stand in the doorframe. "I asked him if he wanted to hang out, grab a few beers. He declined. He said he needed to deal with this on his own, that it's his fault anyways. He was on his way to the gym."

Karolina just nodded her head in understanding, smiling at Dean warmly. She didn't want to imagine how he must feel right now. She knew that Seth and Shannon were tending to be more on her side while Maxine was more or less neutral, of course not happy about Roman's actions. But Dean...Dean was very close to Roman, seeing him as the brother he had never had, the only person he could fully trust. No matter what it was about. And then there was Karo. A woman he loved like a sister, a person he would protect at all costs because she was family to him. The two people besides Shannon he was closest to were teetering on the brink of the abyss and he didn't know what to do or how to act anymore.

"And like I told Shannon just now: I don't want you guys to choose sides. All I want is for things to get easier, to become more normal again. We're adults, right? I need some time, both me and Roman need time. I honestly admit that I can't stand him right now. And I don't want to see him either. But one day we'll be able to be civil around each other again. We have to," Karo stated, watching how Dean sat down on the couch again, Shannon taking his hand into hers, squeezing it gently.

Both Dean and Shannon had no idea how Karo was able to speak so reasonably about her current situation. Seth had told them about how much she had cried the day before and they were actually expecting her to fall apart in front of their very eyes. But maybe she had cried enough. Maybe she had thought long and hard about what her life was all about at the moment. And that might have led her to see the positive, to see that one day things would get better again. Life was a rollercoaster ride and after every down, there would be an up again. They were proud of her for thinking that way.

"Are you really moving to Tampa?" Dean asked, knowing that Seth actually didn't want him to address her regarding this, but he couldn't help it, needing to know what this was all about.

"I'm thinking about it. I need to go back to work again. I know Roman's going to pay for the kids. He'll probably support me financially anyways. But I don't want his money. I wanna earn my own. But I haven't come to a decision just yet. There are a lot of things I need to consider, especially when it comes to Leni and Siaki. So, yeah, we'll see...," she replied truthfully, knowing that it must have weighed so heavy on Seth's shoulders that he needed to talk to somebody about it. It made her smile. She loved him so much.

Karo leaned forward to grab her phone from the coffee table when it rang, surprised to see that it was Vanessa, Roman's sister, calling her. She definitely was not in the mood to pick Roman up from some bar. She could only imagine how he must have gotten drunk after receiving the letter from her lawyer that day. Maybe the gym just wasn't enough this time. But it wasn't her responsibility to take care of him anymore. He was on his own now.

"Vanessa, hey...what's up?" she asked kindly, shrugging her shoulders unknowingly when both Dean and Shannon looked at her curiously.

"Karo...," Vanessa whispered into the phone, her voice shaky, as if she was crying. "I...we...we're at the hospital. Mom asked me to call you. Dad...Sika...he..."

"Vanessa, what the hell is going on? Are you crying?" the younger woman requested before sitting up straight, gripping her phone tightly, swallowing hard. Something was definitely wrong. Very wrong.

There was an uncomfortable silence on the other end of the phone, the only thing Karo could hear her sister-in-law's quiet sobs which only alarmed her even more.

"Dad...he collapsed...," was all Vanessa could say before eventually breaking down crying.


	21. Turnaround

_**I would like to thank Solosunni, BlondieC82, Lilygirl95, WickedRedRose22, Shannon5288, Micah, Reignsbabee, CarolReigns, lourdes1694, insky5967, calwitch, Samantha, benova13, mitchy21, JxTina, SPARKELS77, CFierce116, babygirl65 and fenner82 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are incredible. Thank you so much.**_

 _ **The leader of the Roman Empire, our man, Roman Reigns, is the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, ladies and gentlemen. So well-deserved. I'm so happy he finally got his Wrestlemania moment.**_

 _ **Onto the next chapter. Enjoy & review :)**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 21: Turnaround**

Immediately after hanging up the phone with Vanessa, Karolina made her way to the hospital in next to no time. Roman's sister had been crying non-stop, not being able to tell Karo what exactly had happened. The only thing she knew was that Sika had collapsed and that he was in the hospital now. It was Patty, Roman's mother, who had asked her daughter to call Karolina, wanting her daughter-in-law to know what was going on and leaving the door open for her to decide whether she wanted to join them or not. She was and would always be family to them, no matter what.

Of course Shannon and Dean offered to keep Leni and Siaki overnight, giving Karo and the Reigns family all the time they needed to cope with whatever was happening with their patriarch. That went without saying.

Karo quickly made her way to the waiting room area, not surprised to see the whole family gathered around, sitting on the hard plastic seats, Roman keeping aloof a little. He was in his gym shorts and a sweat-drenched wife-beater, probably having been called while he was still working out. His hair was a mess and he had his head propped up in his hands, staring at the floor absentmindedly.

"Oh my God, Patty...what happened? What's going on?" Karo whispered when she approached her mother-in-law, kneeling down in front of her to be eye-level with her. Deep down she was antsy and nervous, but she had told herself to act as calm and even-tempered as she possibly could.

"Karolina, sweetheart, it's so good to have you here with us," Patty said when she looked up, her voice hoarse and just above a whisper. She must have been crying as well. "We're still waiting for a doctor to inform us. Sika...he...he collapsed after dinner. He said he didn't feel well, and that his arm felt numb. Then he just sagged and fell to the ground."

The moment Roman heard Karo's voice, he looked up promptly, his heart skipping a beat when he realized that she had indeed come. He knew that Vanessa had called her, but he wasn't sure if she would really appear, seeing as they were not on speaking terms at the moment. And most importantly: because she had just filed for divorce.

"I'm so sorry, Patty. I'm so incredibly sorry," she said as she wrapped her arms around the older woman, hugging her tightly, swallowing hard when Roman's mother started sobbing heavily, giving away that she had started crying once again.

Karo ran her hand up and down her back soothingly, looking over her shoulder only to lock eyes with Roman. He immediately looked down at the floor again, feeling as if he got caught staring at her. She could see that he had tears in his eyes, afraid of what was going on, of what was happening to his father.

She closed her eyes briefly, feeling how Roman's sisters Vanessa, Summer and Myritza joined them, embracing them in a group hug. And in that very moment, Karo couldn't help but allow the tears she had so desperately fought to suppress to finally escape her eyes.

She had to make a decision now. She didn't have much time to think about it any longer. This wasn't just about her right now. This was about Roman's family. It was about Roman. And that also meant that it concerned her family as well. They needed her. And most importantly: Roman needed her. She had to rise above herself and act against her better judgment.

They gently broke the hug a few moments later when Vanessa's phone rang. She excused herself, letting the others know that Matt was calling. Roman's brother immediately made plans to make his way from Cincinnati to Pensacola to be with his family. There was no question that he wanted to be by their side during this difficult time.

Karolina sighed heavily, licking her suddenly very dry lips before working up the courage to finally face Roman again. Her steps were slow and deliberate, the closer she got to him, the more nervous she became. He was still her husband. And although he was close, he was still so far away at the same time. Emotionally.

She was now standing in front of him, knowing that he could definitely feel her presence. He was still gazing at the ground, his head in his hands. He probably didn't know how to act. But she didn't want to think about the mess that was their marriage right now. She didn't want to think about divorce papers, about him cheating on her. Sika's life was in danger and that was all that mattered now.

"Get up, Roman...please," she whispered, cautiously and gently taking one of his hands into hers, urging him to stand up.

He looked up at her unsure, insecurity and pain reflecting in his eyes. Eyes that were full of tears that he was trying so hard to suppress. She would never forget how she fell in love with those eyes all those years ago. It all seemed so far away right now.

When he finally straightened up, standing in front of her now, they just looked at each other wordlessly. He didn't know what to do, not wanting to let go of her hand when she pulled away again. He needed her now, more than ever.

He held his breath when she opened her arms, wrapping them around his neck slowly and carefully, as if she was unsure herself. His body was tense, his arms just dangling next to his body as if he didn't know what to do with them. But when she pulled close, leaning into him so that he could feel her heart beat against his chest, he embraced her back, engulfing her in a tight hug, holding on for dear life.

"I'm here for you," she said in a strangled whisper, one of her hands now stroking his hair soothingly.

These few simple words, the way she comforted him...it was all he needed to eventually break down in her arms. He finally let the tears fall, not ashamed to cry in front of her and his family. He was afraid. He was fucking scared of losing his father, of losing the man he had looked up to his whole life. The uncertainty, the fear...it was more than he could handle.

"I'm so afraid, Karo," he sobbed, pulling her even closer to him.

"He'll be fine, Roman. He's a fighter, just like you are," she replied, her own tears now cascading down her cheeks.

It felt so good to have his strong arms wrapped around her body. She had missed this, she had missed _him_. It hurt her immensely to see him in so much pain. She didn't even want to imagine what he was going through right now. Although she didn't see her parents on a regular basis, she loved them dearly, not even wanting to think what life would be like without them.

"Thanks so much for being here for us...for me," he snivelled, loosening the grip on her a little so that he could wipe away the tears with his right hand. He wouldn't let go of her though. He didn't want to let her go ever again.

"That goes without saying, Roman. I'm glad Vanessa called and s...," she started but stopped when he sighed heavily.

"I should have called you. But I just couldn't. I j...," he explained, but now it was him who was cut off mid-sentence.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. I understand," she reassured, her stomach tied up in knots when he wiped away her tears with his thumb.

He let his hand drop when he noticed how uneasy she felt about his gesture, having completely forgotten about their current situation.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. He entirely let go of her in an instant.

She wanted to reply when the door to the waiting room suddenly swung open, a doctor entering the room, asking for the family of Sika Reigns. The doctor probably didn't expect the whole family to circle him as if he was their prey.

"Mrs Reigns, your husband had a mild heart attack. Why? We can't say for sure. Stress might have been the reason. There are many factors that can lead to something like this. We have to run several more tests during the next few days. We would like to keep him here a little longer, until he is more stable again. But you can all take a deep breath now. He is awake, but very exhausted. Please only visit him one at a time. He needs to rest now," the doctor explained, and it was almost palpable how the tension in the room vanished almost instantly.

Karo took Roman's hand into hers, squeezing it tightly.

"I told you so," she said quietly, looking at him with a reassuring smile on her face.

 **...**

After dropping off her kids at the nursery school and kindergarten respectively, Karo decided to make her way back to the hospital.

She didn't get to see Sika the day before, deferring to his wife and kids to visit him first. And since it had already been late at night, she had told Patty that she would go back home, giving Sika the rest he needed, promising to visit him the next day. She had no idea how long Patty had hugged her that night, but they both had once again cried together, out of relief this time.

She knocked on the door twice, waiting for a sign to enter and doing so when she heard Sika's voice from inside. It made her smile to hear his deep, raspy voice.

She smiled nervously the moment she spotted Roman who was seated on a chair next to his father's bed, still in the same clothes, still that same messy hair. He must have spent the night in the hospital.

"I can come back later," she immediately said, the door still open, ready to leave again.

"Sweetheart, don't you think your favourite father-in-law deserves a kiss and a hug?" Sika joked, exactly knowing how difficult this very situation must have been for Roman and Karolina.

"You know you deserve all the hugs and kisses in the world," she replied, now closing the door behind her, making her way over to him. She loved this man, with all her heart. He was a great man, a great father, father-in-law and especially grandfather. "Don't you dare ever do this to us again. You scared the living shit outta us."

And just like he had asked, she hugged and kissed him, making him smile at her brightly.

"I can't make any promises, sweetie. I'll give it my best," the older man replied, patting her back lovingly. "You could do something for me though."

"Anything," she quickly answered, holding onto his hand as he looked at her happily. Why he was happy, she didn't know. Maybe to still be alive?!

"You take this guy right here and drag him into the cafeteria. He refuses to go home, so I let him stay. But at least make him eat and drink something please, would you?" he asked her almost pleadingly, motioning with his head towards Roman who only rolled his eyes. He was his parents' baby boy and he always would be.

Sika knew that he asked for a lot when he begged Karolina to do so. But he also knew that she would be the only one that her son would listen to, separation or not.

"You know it," she said, winking at him when he squeezed her hand gently. She then turned her attention towards Roman. "Shall we?"

"Dad, I really t...," Roman started after sighing heavily, but the look in his father's eyes told him neither to argue nor to discuss. This simply wasn't up for this discussion. It was his father's wish and he would respect it.

Without saying another word, Roman followed Karo out of the room, both of them riding down in the elevator in silence, neither of them sure of what to do or say. What had happened the day before, both of them hugging, holding hands, comforting each other...it was heavy on their minds. And neither of them knew what the real meaning behind it really was.

"I'm not really hungry," Roman admitted when they waited in line to get something to drink and eat. He ran a hand over his tired face, even rubbing his eyes before yawning.

"I promised your father to make you eat something. So you're gonna eat," Karo insisted, smiling at the lady standing behind the counter.

She knew her husband. Knew what he disliked and what he preferred. So she ordered pasta for him. Pasta with tomato sauce. One of his favorite meals.

"So you make me eat and don't eat anything yourself?" he asked before shoving a fork full of pasta into his mouth, watching her intently when she sipped her coffee.

She had lost a lot of weight ever since they separated. He would guess about 30 pounds at least, give or take. It was his fault. He knew it. She still looked incredibly beautiful to him though. She always would. And she still had curves. It was in her nature.

"I had a sandwich this morning," she simply said, looking around nervously. It seemed as if they had nothing to talk about anymore. This felt so...forced.

"Very nourishing," he remarked, still looking at her intently.

"Don't worry about me, Roman. It's not like I'm skin and bones," she retorted, not liking the tension that seemingly was between them. Why had everything been so much easier the day before?

Roman remained silent now, finishing off his pasta while still watching her. She was now typing away on her cell phone, once in a while smiling away, probably forgetting that he was even there with her. He didn't even want to know what made her smile. Normally he would make a stupid remark, asking her if one of her lovers was texting her. He would have asked if one of those guys could make her happy when apparently he couldn't do so anymore. But he slugged it down. It was not his place to judge her. If she had a boyfriend, or even a couple of flings, then it wasn't any of his business. She was a free woman. Yes, they were still married. But by sending him the divorce papers, she made it crystal clear that she was not willing to give him another chance again.

"Why didn't you go home yesterday?" she asked after stashing her cell phone back into her purse.

"What for? Nobody is waiting for me at home, Karolina," he said defeated, pushing the empty plate to the side. He was stuffed.

"You need rest, Roman. Your dad is fine, he's in good hands here," she stated, trying to ignore his comment that he was alone. And maybe even lonely. She didn't even want to think about it.

Roman freed his hair out of its messy ponytail, running a shaky hand through it. He knew that Karolina was right. He was exhausted, he was tired. And he was still wearing his dirty gym gear from the day before.

"Yesterday changed everything. It changed my perspective on life, it changed me as a person," he began, tying his hair back once again.

Karo just looked at him intently, expectantly even, not sure what exactly he was talking about. His father's heart attack? Receiving the divorce papers? She didn't say a word, waiting for him to continue, to explain what he was feeling deep inside. It seemed as if he was unsure to spill his guts to her. Why would she even listen to him after all he had done to her? After all the pain and hurt he had put her through.

"Go on," she encouraged him, pushing her chair even closer to the table so that she could hear him better, not wanting him to feel forced to speak so loud that everybody else could listen.

"It's difficult, Karolina. I'm not sure you even want to listen to me whine," he countered, taking a sip of his soda, not even wanting to look at her.

"You know me, Roman. I would have told you if I didn't want to listen," she said quickly, smiling at him reassuringly.

Roman took a deep breath, trying to get his act together, to retain his composure. Here was the woman he loved with all his heart. The woman he had cheated on, the woman he had betrayed. And she was still willing to listen to him when he felt down, when he felt as if his world was crashing down around him. He didn't deserve her. He definitely didn't.

"When I received the divorce papers yesterday morning, I didn't even know how to feel. It was as if I didn't even feel anything at all, as if I had to hurt myself in order to see if I can still feel pain. Don't get me wrong. I don't want any pity. I don't wanna feel sorry for myself. This is my fault. I fucked it all up. But all these months, deep inside, I still had hope. Reading this letter, it made everything so ultimate. But I accepted it. I wanted to sign the papers after coming back from the gym. But I didn't even have the chance to. Mom called in the middle of my workout, telling me to hurry over to their house, sobbing and crying that dad collapsed, that he wasn't breathing, that she didn't know what to do. Karolina, I swear to God, I don't even know how I got there. I was driving there, I know I was. But it was as if I was in such a trance that I can't even remember anything. On my way there, I prayed to God. I prayed to him to let my dad live, to make him breathe again. I offered the big man up there to take everything away from me. To make me suffer, to make _me_ feel the pain I had caused all my loved ones around me. In my whole life, I've never been as afraid as I was yesterday. I didn't want him to die. I didn't want to lose him. It made me question my whole fucking existence," he explained, stopping for a brief moment to take a deep breath, not wanting to cry in front of her again. "Life is so short. It's so fucking short. It can be over any minute, any second even. All I have ever wanted in my life was to make my parents proud."

"But you did, Roman. You made them proud, you still do. You are their everything," Karo interjected when she felt that he was on the verge of tears. She knew that he had never been ashamed to cry in front of her, to cry in general, but she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him so emotional.

"And I disappointed them just as much," he whispered, rubbing his goatee nervously, feeling her eyes on him. "The day I told them about what happened between us, about what I had done, my mom broke down crying. She was so incredibly disappointed and heartbroken. My father didn't say a word, he just stared at me silently, as if he couldn't believe what I just told him. Yes, they are proud of me as an athlete, as a wrestler. But they are disappointed in me as a person, as their son. And I can't even blame them."

Roman didn't want Karo to feel sorry for him. That definitely wasn't his intention. But he wanted her to see where he was coming from, that this was just as difficult for him as it was for her. Although their situations clearly were not comparable.

"But that doesn't even matter now," he continued when she kept staring at him, taking a deep breath. "What happened yesterday...it opened my eyes. It made me see that we only have this one chance at life. That we are responsible for our actions, that we should make the best of it. I cannot undo what I did to you, what I did to our kids, to my family. It happened. There's no point crying over spilt milk. All I want for us is to get along, to be civil around each other. I cannot make you love me anymore. I cannot force you to forgive me, to give me another chance. But I'm begging you...please...give us a chance of making this work. If not for me, let's do it for Leni and Siaki. I'll leave you alone from now on, I'm not going to comment on who you are seeing, on what you're wearing when you go out to party. I had no right to act like that, to treat you like that. This is your life now, Karolina. And I accept it. Just let me be a part of it when it comes to being the father that our children deserve. I fucked up as a husband. In this one short life that I have, I fucked this up. So let me make it up to you, to myself and to our kids to at least be a good father."

Karolina swallowed hard, her eyes filled with tears. His words made so much sense. Everything he said, it was absolutely right. Life was too short, way too short. And you only live once. He had made a mistake, a huge mistake that was more or less unforgivable, at least to her. But they needed to stop fighting. They needed to stop blaming each other for the things that had happened in the past. They needed to man up and they needed to handle their situation like adults. She had all the right in the world to be hurt about his actions, but she had to stop being bitter about it. It was important that they started to communicate. Not by yelling at each other, but by talking calmly and acting civilly around each other.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. And I agree...let's...we should buck up and make this work. And I'm willing to do it. If we want to move on, if we want to make life easier for our children and for ourselves as well, we need to get our acts together," she concluded, raising an eyebrow in curiosity with a smile on her face when he raised his hand, putting it into a fist. "You don't really want me to fist bump you now, do you?"

"Oh yes I do. You've always said you wouldn't do it, that it was something buddies did, not lovers. Things are changing, Karolina. Now fist-bump me already, my arm is getting heavy," he said, making her chuckle.

She shrugged her shoulders as if to say 'so what?', finally fist-bumping him for the first time ever, both of them laughing when she hurt her fist in the process. She had become such a girly girl ever since she stopped wrestling all those years ago.

"We make this work," he said, smiling at her hopefully.

"Yes...we make this work," she agreed.


	22. Mission im-possible

**_I would like to thank BlondieC82, reignsbabee, Shannon5288, Lilygirl95, Samantha, mitchy21, Micah, calwitch, CarolReigns, JxTina, WickedRedRose22, Solosunni, benova13, SPARKELS77, CFierce116 and everyone else for reviewing the last chapter. As this website once again has trouble showing reviews, I'm not sure who else reviewed but I thank you all from the bottom of my heart._**

 ** _I actually don't have anything else to say this time, so…enjoy & review! :)_**

 ** _..._**

 **Chapter 22: Mission (im)possible**

Karolina was unusually late this afternoon. She couldn't remember the last time she had to run so fast in order to pick up her children from nursery school and kindergarten respectively in time. She would hate for them to wait for her and be the last ones. What a bad mother she was...

She came to an abrupt halt when she saw Roman from far away, Siaki on his right arm while he held Leni's hand in his left one. She checked the date on her phone again, looking back up when she heard her kids yell for her, both of them waving at her excitedly.

The smile on Roman's face didn't go unnoticed by her either. She was confused.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him curiously, hugging and kissing her kids who seemed to be overjoyed to see their parents together like that.

"It was my turn to pick them up, remember?" he retorted, letting Siaki down when the little boy became fussy on his arm. "You forgot, didn't you?"

He didn't say it in a reproachful way, no, he was more or less amused.

"I...yes...I mixed the dates up. I'm sorry. I have a lot on my plate right now," she admitted, running a shaky hand through her long blond hair.

"You do? Wanna t...," he started, wanting to know what was bothering her so much, but his daughter, as always, interrupted him when he least needed it.

"Can we have burgers today? And milkshakes? Can we go to Wendy's? Pleeeease," she begged, now also taking Karo's hand into her free one, looking up at her parents with puppy eyes.

"Yaaaay...BURGERS," Siaki yelled excitedly, clapping his hands. He loved burgers.

Roman and Karo looked at each other wordlessly, both of them knowing fully well that it had been months since the last time they had lunch together. And it probably had ended in them once again fighting with each other. They didn't even want to think about it.

Roman nodded his head at Karo almost imperceptibly, telepathically letting her know that he agreed. He didn't want to say it out loud and give his kids hope when Karolina didn't want them to spend time together.

"Why not? Yeah...we...let's go," she said, almost stuttering, smiling down at her children when they hugged her legs.

It had been over a week since Roman and Karolina restored the peace in the hospital's cafeteria. A week during which they had texted and even talked on the phone. Of course it would still take a lot of time, but they were on a good way. They finally found a way to talk civilly with each other and that was all that mattered right now.

"Shall we take my car? We can leave yours here and pick it up afterwards," he offered, noticing just how disarranged and confused she seemed to be. But he was just as surprised about this spontaneous lunch 'date' as she was.

"Sounds like a plan, let's go," she replied, letting their daughter drag the both of them towards Roman's car, Siaki in a hurry to catch up with them. It must have looked funny.

Siaki and Leni were babbling in the back seat while Roman and Karolina remained silent, both of them lost in thought. It even felt strange to ride in one car together again. It seemed as if they really needed to get used to spending more time together again from now on.

The uncomfortable silence was suddenly interrupted the moment Roman's cell phone rang, the hands-free speaking system of his car signaling that Dean was calling.

"Yep," Roman only said when he picked up, still concentrating on the street as much as he could. Inhaling Karo's scent didn't make things any easier.

"Reigns, man, where the fuck are you? Dylan is driving me nuts. We were supposed to go to the beach, remember?" Dean grumped, telling his son in the background nicely but pointedly to finally be quiet.

"Shit...dude...I'm sorry. I totally forgot. I just picked up the kids and now we are on our way to Wendy's," Roman mumbled, apologizing to his friend. And he was indeed really sorry for forgetting about it.

"Okay, look, let's just meet up there alright? Dylan is seriously making me consider shooting myself," Dean said with a heavy sigh, making Karo chuckle to herself.

"Uhm...well...how about we meet at the beach this afternoon? Karo joined us and the k...," the Samoan wanted to explain but it didn't surprise him that Dean interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Karolina is there with you? Dude, are you guys f...," Dean started, totally excited about the news the Samoan had just shared with him.

"Ambrose...don't...just don't...Leni and Siaki are in the car with us. They can hear you," Roman stopped his best friend before it was too late, exactly knowing what the short-haired man was about to ask.

"Hey Uncle Dean," Leni and Siaki yelled simultaneously, always happy to hear their uncle's voice.

"Hey kiddos...uhm...enjoy your day with mommy and daddy, alright? Maybe you want to come by later today. Dylan would love to see you two," the younger man said, warming Karo's heart. Who would have thought that Dean would ever be such a caring father and uncle?

"Yaaay," the kids in the backseat yelled at the same time, clapping their hands. Their day couldn't get any better than this.

"And Reigns...you call me b...," he started to say but stopped himself this time, realizing that Karo was in the car with them as well. "See you later."

And with that he hung up, making both Roman and Karo smile to themselves. He was such a crazy guy sometimes. And they could only imagine what was going through his head at that very moment. Karo wouldn't be surprised to get a text message from Shannon very soon. The same went for Roman, only that he would probably receive one from Dean.

Their friends weren't used to seeing Roman and Karo spend time with each other anymore. All they had known for the last couple of months was to see them fight, yell and blame each other. So this was a welcome change, for all of them. But it also needed getting used to again. Especially for Karo and Roman.

"Here we are. Anybody hungry?" Roman said a few minutes later, turning around to face his kids before killing the engine.

"I'm starving," Karo said truthfully, both of them ignoring their kids' screams of joy for a moment. He looked over at her, seeing how exhausted she seemed to be. He would address the 'a lot on my plate' issue later that day, so much was clear.

"Then let's go and kill some burgers. You look like you could use 'em," he said, not even meaning it in a negative way, but he felt that his wife might as well gain a few more pounds again. He preferred when she was a little more curvaceous and voluptuous. Not that he had a right to have an opinion about that anymore.

Karo didn't even respond to that, not sure what he expected her to say. She was quite happy with her body at the moment, thankful that she had lost a few pounds during the last few months. But chocolate became more and more appealing again now. She couldn't fight it any longer.

"So, who wants to have a cheeseburger?" Roman asked out loud when they sat down in a booth, a menu card in his hands. Leni was sitting next to him, her tiny hands clutching his enormous biceps. She clung onto him like a little monkey. It was adorable.

"Me me me," Siaki and Leni yelled at the same time, the little girl laughing when her daddy tickled her sides.

"And who wants to have a...chocolate milkshake?" he asked, immediately turning his attention to Leni who raised her arm with a big smile on her face. "And you buddy? Lemme guess...how about a...vanilla milkshake?"

Karo's heart leapt for joy when her little boy raised his small hand, putting it into a fist to bump it with his father's, nodding his head. Roman knew his kids so well. He was a great father. They loved him unconditionally. It could be seen in the way Leni and Siaki looked at him, right in this very moment.

"What about you, babyg...Karo?" he asked, swallowing hard when he realized what he had almost said, smiling at her nervously. "Bacon Cheeseburger with fries, no tomatoes? As always?"

Of course he would remember. How could he not?

"And a...," she wanted to add, but he stopped her mid-sentence.

"And an Oreo milkshake," he finished for her, chuckling when she nodded her head shyly. "You devoured them when you were pregnant with Siaki. I'll never forget how you made me go here in the middle of the night just to get you one."

"I threatened to make you sleep on the couch," she remembered, giggling quietly.

"I definitely couldn't risk that," he said with a chuckle, looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

Were they flirting? Or were they just remembering good old times, joking around? They both didn't know. And they also didn't want to think about it too much. They just wanted to enjoy spending time with each other without being at each other's throats.

"So, what's going on?" he asked after the waitress left with their orders, looking at her intently when their kids were busy coloring, not listening to them much. They were content.

"What's going on?" she asked confused, pushing her cell phone back into her purse after answering to an email.

"Yeah...you seem to be busy with your phone constantly, said you had a lot on your plate. You look exhausted. Wanna talk about it?" he asked, hoping and praying to God that there wasn't another man involved.

"Oh that...yeah...so...uhm...I've been in touch with Hunter and Stephanie lately," she stated, biting her bottom lip nervously when he looked at her curiously, a frown on his face.

"You have? What for?" he wondered, wanting so badly to free her lip from her teeth, but he had to refrain.

"I was thinking about their offer. You know...a few years ago, they asked me to be a trainer at the Performance Center. And I think that now the time has finally come for me to actually think about it," she admitted, smiling up at the waitress gratefully when she brought them their milkshakes.

"Karolina," Roman groaned, massaging the bridge of his nose to get rid of an impending headache. "If this is about money, I don't even want you to think about it any further."

"It's not, Roman. It's...yes, I do want to earn my own money. I know you would be support me, support the kids. But have you ever thought about me not wanting this? About me wanting to provide for my family myself?" she asked, her voice calm and even.

"Our family. This is still _our_ family. Divorce or not," he said through gritted teeth, not wanting his kids to hear any of this. It also reminded him that he still needed to sign the divorce papers. He hated even thinking about it. "I don't want you to worry about anything, ok? Sure…if you wanna go back to work, I support you. But don't do it because of the money, do it because you want to do it. Because it's your passion."

Karo took a deep breath, appreciating that he was so supportive. It still felt as if he wasn't a hundred percent happy with her decision. But this wasn't about him anymore. It was about her. She was on her own now.

"How's the plan though? I mean, you probably can't work full time, seeing as I'm on the road most of the week. You know...because of the kids," Roman dared to ask, pushing Leni's milkshake aside a little before she knocked it over while coloring.

"Yeah...that's another issue I need to take care of. Before Sika had the heart attack, they offered to babysit for two days a week. Hunter needs me down in Tampa on Mondays and Tuesdays. I told them I can't do more than those two days a week. And I don't want to. It would be too much back and forth for our babies. I don't want to do that to them," she explained, taking a sip of her milkshake. "But with Sika having health issues, I really don't want to bother them too much with that."

Roman just nodded his head, understanding where she was coming from. This proved to be more difficult than expected.

"We'll find a solution, Karo. We'll find a solution for everything," he said, hoping that she didn't notice how ambiguous his statement was really meant to be.

 **...**

"Duuuude," Dean said loudly the moment Seth opened his front door, pushing past his friend to get inside the house, not waiting to be invited in.

"Hello to you too, dumbass," Seth groaned, closing the door from the inside again. "What's up?"

"You've gotta read this," the short-haired man urged, shoving his phone into Seth's hand. "Read my text first, then Ro's."

 _*Dean: Karo is out with you and the kids? Are you guys about to kill each other in front of your own children? That's sadistic, man. That's fucked up.*_

"Your way of writing text messages confuses, irritates and amuses me all at the same time," the two-tone-haired man said with a chuckle, holding up his free hand in defense when Dean slapped him upside the head.

"Shut up. Keep reading, idiot," Dean scoffed, folding his arms. He looked around, making sure that Maxine wasn't in earshot when Seth was reading the text message out loud.

 _*Roman: We met when she came to pick up the kids from school. She forgot it was my turn. We made up in the hospital a few days ago. More or less. We don't fight anymore. We seem to get along. I'm not pushing my luck though. I just enjoy it while it lasts. You know how much I've missed her.*_

Seth looked at Dean wide-eyed, not sure what to think and how to feel.

"Duuuude," Dean said once again, taking back his phone. "That's fucking awesome."

Seth couldn't follow, just looking at his friend confused and curiously at the same time.

"Seth, man, don't you get it? That's the first step into the right direction. They made up, they're spending time with each other...with their children. They're not fighting anymore," he stated the obvious, nudging his friend's shoulder. "It's up to us now, smartass."

"It's up to us? Care to explain?" Seth asked, wanting to make his way into the living room, looking at Dean inquiringly when he stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Is Maxine around?" he asked quietly, sighing in relief when Seth shook his head no before continuing. "So, we all know they still love each other, right? It's fucking obvious. So, if they are back on speaking terms, if they don't fight with each other, they might as well be able to spend even more time together. And the more time they spend with each other, the more they'll realize how much they love and miss each other. And boom, they're back together."

Seth groaned, running a shaky hand over his face.

"You're serious about this, aren't you?" he asked, although he already knew the answer. "I don't know, dude. I'm not sure if this really is up to us, if we should really get involved."

"Of course we should. This concerns us just as much...okay...to a certain extent...whatever. Come on, Seth. I need your help," Dean insisted, almost begging him. It seemingly meant a lot to him to see Roman and Karolina back together.

"Well...okay...shoot," Seth said in defeat, willing to listen to his friend's plan before deciding to refuse to help or not.

 **...**

It was two days later that Shannon once again caught Dean in bed...with his cell phone.

"Really Dean? Again? I thought that now that I know about your surprise trip to Paris, I could assume that you would stop texting so much. Or is there anything else you need to tell me now?" she asked annoyed, slipping into her nightgown.

Dean looked at Shannon wide-eyed, not having heard her entering the bedroom.

"Uhm...what?" he asked, almost slapping his own forehead when he made it more or less obvious that he had a secret. But he couldn't tell her. He couldn't let her know about his plan to get Roman and Karolina back together. She had developed an antipathy towards Roman that would make it impossible for him to stay the course.

"Gimme your phone," she said, crawling onto the bed to snatch it away from him in a moment of weakness. The moment being to have her boobs dangle in front of his eyes.

"Shannon...stop it. I don't have anything to hide. Please gimme back my phone," he pleaded, trying to grab it but she had it firmly in her right hand.

 _*Seth: Just talked to Maxine. We're going to Perdido Kids Park with the girls tomorrow. We'll be there at 2pm. Bring Shannon and Dylan. I'll bring Karo and the kids. She agreed already. It's your job to convince Roman now. Tell him it's only us men with the kids and we could use his support.*_

Shannon looked at Dean curiously after reading the text message out loud, raising an eyebrow. "How about you explain this one to me?"

Dean sighed heavily, running a shaky hand through his short, messy hair. She caught him. She always did. How was it even possible to hide anything from her? It simply wasn't.

"Look, it's not that easy," he started, but stopped when she raised her index finger. "Ugh Shannon. Stop treating me like a little school boy. I have my reasons for not telling you."

"Oh really? You do?" she scoffed, letting him take the phone away from her again, throwing it onto the nightstand next to the bed.

"Yes, I do. You wouldn't even understand," he snorted, laying down on his back, folding his arms behind his head.

"Then make me. Make me understand," she retorted, sitting down on the bed cross-legged. She hated that he felt the need to hide things from her. They were supposed to trust each other, with everything.

"You loathe Roman. That is why," he grumped, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Roman and Karo...they talked. They made up. More or less. They decided to make this work, to not fight anymore. They even spent time with the kids a few days ago, just the two of them."

"Don't even continue. That's bullshit and you know it," she interjected, plopping down on the bed now, covering herself with the blanket. She didn't want to hear any of this.

"It's not, Shan. It's fucking not. How many times has she told you that she misses him? That she still loves him? She's told me...several times. Same goes for Roman. Maybe this whole thing with Sika finally opened their eyes," Dean said, hoping that his wife would finally understand.

"And now what? You wanna be the peacemaker? The life-saver? You wanna play Cupid?" she asked mockingly, grabbing the book she was currently reading from her nightstand.

"And that is the fucking reason I didn't tell you," he spat, taking away her book, throwing it away aimlessly. He was sick of her acting as if she was the victim here. "Yes, Seth and I want to be the peacemakers. We wanna help them find their way back to each other. And do you know why? Because we care for our friends. We love them. And we want them to be happy. I know they can only be happy with each other. This is why I...why WE are doing this. Stop being bitter about something that doesn't even concern you, that didn't even happen to you. If Karo can make up with him, then so should you. Maybe it doesn't even work. Maybe she'll never be able to forgive him for what he has done. But it's worth a try. And I will try. I was hoping for your support. All I ask is for you to be civil around him. Stop the insulting comments, stop being a bitch towards him. He has paid his dues. He knows that he's fucked up. Let it go, Shannon."

He had talked himself into a rage, feeling sorry for his best friend, always feeling the need to defend him in front of everybody else. He didn't deserve to be treated like this. Not anymore. It was done and over with. He couldn't undo it. So it was time to let the past be the past and look into the future.

Shannon looked at her husband in shock, not having realized that he felt this way about the whole situation. Of course he had always warned her to be quiet when she once again wanted to cuss Roman out, but she had no idea it was that serious.

"That bothers you a lot, doesn't it?" she asked in a whisper, swallowing hard.

"Of course it does. Roman's my brother...and Karo...she means the world to me as well. Don't you miss the good old times? All of us hanging out? I want this back, I want _us_ back. All of us. Like it used to be. Shannon, this is about my family. I'm sick of you choosing sides. Hell, even Karo asked you not to do that. Please...," he replied, looking at her pleadingly.

Shannon sighed heavily, pushing the blanket aside before making her way over to him, cautiously sitting down on his lap. It had been a while since she last saw him like that. He was sad and hurt...it was as simple as that.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even realize how bitchy I was. I...it's difficult for me to forgive him just like that. I'm honest with you though. I need some time to get used to the idea of having him around again. He hurt my best friend. He hurt her a lot. Just like Roman is your brother, she's my sister. You hurt her, you hurt me. It's how it is. I...I can't promise anything. But I try," she declared, cupping his scruffy cheeks with both of her hands. "I make it up to you, baby."

"You should make it up to him, not me," he snarled, still trying to act annoyed with her but it seemed to be impossible when she started grinding her hips.

"I'm not sure you would want me to suck his dick to show just how incredibly sorry I am, do you?" she asked seductively, biting her bottom lip before slowly moving backwards, hooking her fingers in his boxer-shorts, pulling them down slightly.

"I'm mad at you," he said, his voice cracking. He had his arms folded in front of his chest now.

"No, you're not," she insisted, giggling when he was pouting. "At least your dick's not."

To prove her point, she pushed down his underwear completely, his rock-hard erection springing free. She licked her lips hungrily while looking deep into his eyes, feeling victorious when he swallowed hard.

"Do you want my mouth on you, babe? Do you want my lips around your big cock, my tongue teasing your head?" she demanded, wrapping a hand around his penis softly. "I know you want it...I know you wanna fuck my mouth. You want me to suck your balls, massage them..."

"Suck my dick already," he said through gritted teeth, not being able to take any more of her dirty talk or else he would explode all over her face.

"Hmm, so aggressive," she mumbled before slowly lowering her mouth, her lips now almost touching the head of his cock. She stuck out her tongue for a few short seconds, quickly licking over his slit, absorbing the pre-cum.

"Fucking tease," he grumbled, now grabbing her by the hair, pushing her down so that she would finally engulf him in her mouth. "Yeah...that's more like it."

They never broke eye-contact, looking deep into each other's eyes while he guided her movements with his hand, watching intently how she alternated between licking, sucking and slurping his cock, her right hand now massaging his balls which already felt as if they were about to burst. His woman definitely knew how to give him an amazing blowjob.

"You're such a slut, Shannon...such a dirty slut," he groaned, moaning out loud when she started stroking him, circling her tongue around his head, saliva dripping from her mouth onto his dick. He almost came undone seeing this. "Fuck yes!"

He pushed her back gently, his normally bright eyes darkened with lust and longing. He had to have her now. He couldn't wait any longer.

"Get naked…take off your clothes," he demanded, his voice quiet yet firm. He watched her when she did as she was told, licking his lips when he took a glimpse of her breasts, her nipples hard, begging for his attention. But he had other plans today. He wanted to try something new. "Turn around now. I want you to ride my dick...reversed cowgirl style."

Shannon took a deep breath. The thought excited her, the way he talked to her excited her. She was putty in his hands. No matter what he would ask her to do now, she would definitely do it.

Dean got comfortable while she climbed on top of him, her ass high in the air, her legs spread over his. He couldn't help but let his fingers slide over her folds, teasing her entrance, absorbing her wetness before rubbing it all over her clit, making her moan out loud.

"Hmm, soaking wet for me, aren't you?" he taunted, his free hand now moving in between her legs as well, two of his fingers entering her while his other hand was still rubbing her clit. She was in heaven.

"You wanted me to suck your dick? Now fuck me already, goddammit," she hissed, lowering herself so that he had to let go of her.

He licked his fingers clean, slurping and sucking, knowing that she must have heard it when she groaned, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Now gimme that pussy, sweetcheeks," he ordered, tightly gripping her hips, moving her down slowly.

She clasped his erection gently with one hand, guiding it to her entrance before agonizingly slowly sinking down onto him, his hard cock entering her inch by inch, until it fully disappeared inside of her.

"God...yes...," she moaned, now supporting herself on his thighs, moving up and down on him leisurely. She had never felt him from his angle before. It felt different, it felt good.

"Go faster," he urged her, spreading her ass cheeks with his hands, loving the sight of his dick disappearing into her wet pussy over and over again. It increased his arousal even more.

He slapped her ass hard when she didn't speed up, leaving a red mark on her right cheek. But he knew that she enjoyed the pain, knew that it would turn her on, give her pleasure.

She immediately picked up the pace, bouncing off on his dick, her ass smacking against the flesh of his pelvic bone, the sounds resonating throughout the bedroom.

"Oh fuck...Dean...I...oh God," she whimpered, not being able to form a coherent sentence. He felt too good inside of her.

"I'm not sure I will last much longer," he admitted, abashed, realizing that he had only been inside of her for a few minutes, but he was incredibly aroused, watching her fuck herself on his dick in front of him mixed with her moans too much for him to handle.

"Don't stop then...cum inside of me...let loose...come on Dean," she ordered, speeding up once again.

He once again gripped her hips tightly, thrusting his own upwards, meeting her movements, his lips in a thin line, beads of perspiration on his forehead now.

"That's it. Right there...right there...fuck yes," she screamed when Dean found her sweet spot, hitting it over and over again. She was about to pass out. She couldn't stop herself from cumming any longer.

They both moaned out loud, yelling each other's names in ecstasy, speeding up one last time, their movements frantic and almost unskilled. Her walls constricted around him dangerously tight, gripping him like a vice.

He held her still when he finally came inside of her with a groan, shooting spurt after spurt of his cum inside of her pussy, mixing it with her juices that didn't stop flowing, her orgasm still on-going.

She collapsed on top of him, her upper body flat against his thighs and legs which automatically raised her ass and mound in the process. He rested his head in the pillows underneath him, the sight in front of him making him hard all over again. His cum slowly dripped out of her pussy in slow motion, her insides still quivering from her orgasm.

He couldn't help but catch some of his seed with his right index and middle finger, spreading it all over her folds before rubbing it over her clit, the moan that escaped her lips music to his ears.

"Beautiful...simply beautiful," he said, his cock awakening once again.

He was definitely ready for round 2.


	23. Accidental dates

_**I would like to thank reignsbabee, WickedRedRose22, BlondieC82, Samantha, Micah, CarolReigns, Ctinaisfashion, Lilygirl95, lourdes1694, benova13, SPARKELS77, mitchy21, lauraxxx and Insane Cali Gurl for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are amazing!**_

 _ **I don't have anything else to say this time lol So enjoy & review the new chapter, my beautiful readers :)**_

 _ **...**_

 **Chapter 23: 'Accidental' dates**

It was around two o'clock in the afternoon the next day that Seth and Maxine together with their girls Joan and Hayley as well as Karo together with Leni and Siaki met up at Perdido Kids Park, wanting to spend the day together, desperately needing to catch up on their respective lives. It had been way too long already.

"Are Dean and Shannon coming as well?" Karo asked as soon as the kids ran off to the jungle gym, sitting down on one of the wooden benches, placing her picnic basket in front of her on the table.

"Yep. They should be here any minute. Ambrose messaged me a couple of minutes ago that they're on their way," Seth replied, sneaking a peek into the basket, wanting to know what she brought along. "Did you bring cheesecake?"

"Maybe I did," she said with a smirk, shrugging her shoulders innocently. "Maybe it's the one my grandmother always used to bake."

"God, I love you, woman," the two-tone-haired man said, kissing her forehead exuberantly. Seth loved the German cheesecake Karo's grandmother had taught her to bake before she unfortunately died a few years ago.

"Don't we all love her?" somebody else suddenly said, placing a pack of a dozen juice boxes onto the table next to Karo's basket. "And her cheesecake too, of course."

Karo's breath hitched in her throat when she looked from Dean over to Roman, the Samoan standing next to his best friend wordlessly, his hands pushed into the pockets of his jeans sheepishly. But his demeanour was nothing compared to the look on Shannon's face. She looked beyond annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" Karo wondered aloud, the words slipping out of her mouth without her really wanting them.

"I was asking myself the same thing," Shannon mumbled, sitting down next to Karo when Dylan immediately left to join his friends on the playground.

"Uhm...Ambrose...he asked me to...," Roman started, wanting to explain that Dean had asked him to spend the day with him, Seth and the kids, never having been told about the girls joining them as well.

"He's here. No need to further discuss this, alright?" Dean quickly intervened, not wanting his plan to fire backwards already. "So, what about that cheesecake though?"

Karo didn't even reply, letting Dean take the cake out of the basket while she watched Roman move around unsure, occupying the only empty seat on the wooden benches which, of course, was the one opposite of her.

"I can leave if you want me to," he said quietly, his voice only above a whisper, looking at her intently.

"Reigns, you want some cake?" Seth asked all of a sudden, having heard his Samoan friend's words. He wouldn't let him leave so easily. He had thought this plan through with Dean and he wouldn't back out so easily. "You know you want some."

Karo just smiled at Roman insecurely, almost imperceptible shaking her head to tell him that it was okay for him to be there with them. Things between them have become a little easier ever since spending the afternoon with their kids a few days ago. Being close to each other was becoming more bearable again, considering that they were finally talking civilly with each other. It was still an uncomfortable situation, being back with their clique, all of them together, even with their kids. It definitely needed getting used to again.

"Why didn't you tell me he would come?" Karo whispered into Shannon's ear when Roman was engaged in conversation with Seth, not wanting him to know how awkward the situation was for her.

"I didn't plan for him to come," Shannon seethed, looking at Roman as if looks could kill. She couldn't stand him. Not anymore.

They both turned their heads to look at Dean expectantly, knowing that sooner or later he would realize that they were staring at him. And so it didn't surprise them that just a few moments later, he looked their way, eyes wide-open when he noticed the look in their eyes.

"Uhm...I'll go check on the kids," he stuttered nervously, quickly getting up to make his way over to the jungle gym, not wanting to get cross-examined by his wife and friend, knowing he would definitely get the short end of the stick.

"I would love to follow him to kick his ass, but I'm thirsty and I'm sure so are you. So I'm gonna get us something to drink over there," Shannon stated, pointing over to a little snack bar a few feet away.

Roman suddenly stopped listening to Seth in the middle of their conversation, quickly getting up to follow Shannon, catching up with her after just a few more seconds.

"What do you want?" she scoffed when he walked by her side, not even wanting to look at him. She knew she was acting childish, having promised Dean to be mature about the situation. But she just couldn't help it. She was still so mad at him.

"I wanna help you. I'm sure you might need a helping hand, carrying all those bottles," he simply said, not letting her cold-heartedness get to him or even distract him. He was a man on a mission.

Shannon didn't say a word. She just huffed, rolling her eyes at his sudden helpfulness. If he was trying to get back into Karo's pants, he didn't need to try to get into her good books. She was sure that wouldn't help.

She was about to order when Roman stopped her, giving the sales girl an apologetic smile, letting the people standing in line behind them order first.

"What is this all about?" she asked through gritted teeth, sighing in annoyance when he gently pushed her into a far corner, not wanting some stranger to listen to them.

"I think we should talk about this, Shannon," he said calmly, looking at her almost pleadingly. He wanted to make this up to her, wanted to get along with all of them again. He knew it would never be the same again, but he at least wanted them all to be able to spend time with each other without hatred hovering above them.

"There is nothing to talk about, Roman," she said firmly, wanting to make her way back to the snack bar but Roman wouldn't let her.

"I want to apologize," he started, holding her in place by placing his hands onto her shoulders gently. "I'm sincerely sorry, Shannon. I'm sorry for hurting Karo, for hurting my kids. But I'm also sorry for disappointing you. My friends, my family. A lot of time has passed already. It's been difficult, for all of us. But I was hoping that maybe one day you can forgive me. Karo and I...we're finally talking again. We're making the best out of this fucked up situation. And I was wondering if maybe you could give me another chance as well. If you don't wanna do it for me, then do it for my kids, because they can feel that something is wrong. They're still so young, but they realize what's going on. I don't want them to suffer more than they already do. I don't expect you to forget, I don't expect you to act as if it's done and over with. But please stop giving me the cold shoulder. You don't even have to show me any signs of kindness but I would appreciate it if you could at least talk to me civilly."

Shannon looked down to the ground thoughtfully, reflecting on his words over and over again, knowing deep down that he was right. She was so upset with him though. It made her angry that he had been thinking with his dick, putting them all in a difficult situation by his crude actions and behaviour. He had hurt her best friend. He had broken her heart. And that in turn made her incredibly sad.

"I hate what you did to her. And I hated _you_ for doing it. I...I just don't understand it. And I'm not sure I ever will. I know I'm acting totally immature right now though. And if Karo is able to stand above this, so should I. I wouldn't even be able to forget, to be honest. And it will take me some time to look at you the same again, but for the sake of Karo, the kids and our clique, I'm willing to put this behind us," she concluded, finally looking into his eyes now, sighing heavily when a smile crept onto his face.

"Thank you, Shan," he replied happily, all of a sudden hugging her tightly, not wanting to ever let go of her again. He was so relieved that she didn't fight back anymore.

"Yeah...whatever," she retorted, acting as if it meant nothing to her, but she had to admit that it felt good making up with him. She had missed him. Who was she trying to fool? "Can we order something to drink now? I'm really thirsty."

At the same time, Karo was trying to get any information out of Seth and Maxine, wanting to know if they had something to do with Roman being there with them. While Maxi immediately explained herself, telling her friend that she had no idea that he would be there, Seth hemmed and hawed, trying to make excuses, acting as if he was just as surprised and blaming Dean for all of this.

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted when one of the children started crying, both Roman and Karolina immediately realizing that it was their son. At record speed, they both made their way over to the playground, Roman pushing the water bottles into Shannon's arms, while Karo almost knocked over the wooden bench, neither caring about the consequences. Their child had first priority now.

"Baby, what happened?" Karo asked alarmed when she knelt down next to Roman who already held Siaki in his arms, examining the bruise and bump on his forehead.

Siaki was crying so hard that he couldn't even answer, worrying Karo even more.

"He was trying to climb onto the monkey bars and then he fell," Leni replied for her little brother, a sad expression on her face. She always hated to see her brother cry.

"Why don't you kids go and continue to play? Mommy and I will take care of him, alright?" Roman asked kindly yet pointedly, knowing that it wouldn't make his son feel better when all the others were surrounding them. He needed to calm down now.

"Mommy, it hurts so much," the little boy cried, now holding his head in pain, tears still streaming down his face uncontrollably.

"Let daddy take a look at you, baby," Karo said soothingly, moving even closer to Roman so that she could study her son's bruise more clearly.

Karo and Roman both touched their son's head at the same time, looking at each other in shock first, then smiling to themselves about how ridiculously shocked they were about their hands touching. It was nothing special, yet it had such a huge effect on them both.

"I don't want to go to the hospital," the little boy whined, bringing his parents back to reality. He hated doctors and he hated hospitals. He always made it well-known.

"You don't have to, buddy. It's just a little bruise. You're a strong little man," Roman soothed his son, kissing his forehead softly.

Just like Siaki, both Roman and Karolina had been more shocked than anything else. Their hearts sank into their boots just thinking that something terrible could have happened to one of their kids.

"Where's Uncle Dean though? He said he wanted to watch out for you," Karo stated, more calmly now that she realized that her son was okay, looking around only to find Dean stuck in a tube slide with Dylan, Leni, Joan and Hayley trying to pull him out of it. "He can't be serious."

"Oh my God," Roman said, laughing out loud when he watched the scene in front of him unfold. "He's lost his mind for good now. I have to record this."

He gently laid Siaki in Karo's arms, once again kissing the little boy's forehead, at the same time inhaling his wife's scent deeply, before quickly making his way over to the slide and pulling his cell phone out of his jeans pocket.

"Fuck...Reigns...help me. I'm stuck," Dean groaned when he spotted his best friend, the kids still tugging at his hands, squealing and moaning when the grown up didn't move an inch.

"You're stuck, you said?" Roman said, repeating his words mockingly, now zooming in on Dean's contorted face with his camera, his nose scrunched and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. It was actually a common expression on Dean's face after all. The position he was in, however, was new to him.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Stop filming me, you bastard. Help me get outta here," he spat, scoffing when Roman started chuckling.

"Watch your mouth, Ambrose. We have kids around, you know?" Roman continued mocking his best friend, now kneeling down next to the tube slide's opening where Dean's body was stuck in. "So, care to explain how this could have happened?"

"I swear to God, if you show this video to anyone, I'mma cut off your balls," Dean threatened, barking when Roman started laughing even harder. "Better yet, I'll let Shannon do it."

"No need to. This is quite hilarious, to be honest," his wife said all of a sudden, her phone now also directed at him.

"I hate you all," Dean screamed, groaning when his son started crying, hugging his mother's leg tightly, sobbing that he didn't want his daddy to hate him.

 _Maybe that's my punishment from God for setting up this date. Fuck my life_ , Dean thought to himself, closing his eyes for a few moments in defeat, sighing heavily.

 **...**

A few more weeks had passed already. Weeks in which Dean and Seth continued setting up 'dates' where Roman and Karolina would meet 'accidentally'. They thought they were clever, thinking that nobody would ever get wind of their plan, but not only did Maxine and Shannon realize what they were up to, no, Karo and Roman did as well. And they were definitely amused and eventually decided to play along.

So in the meantime they had spent days at the beach and evenings in the bowling center together. They had gone to SeaWorld and spent a few afternoons in the cinema as well as the zoo and a couple of theme parks, together with their kids and friends. And they had to admit that they were enjoying it, had to admit that they were actually enjoying each other's company. But nobody would say that out loud. Nobody had the guts to. At least not yet.

It was Tuesday now. And just like every Monday and Tuesday for the last few weeks, Karo was working in the Performance Center in Tampa.

Thankfully Sika and Patty had insisted on keeping Leni and Siaki during those two days a week as Roman would only return to Pensacola from being on the road on Wednesdays, so Karo didn't have to worry about her children being with some nanny or stranger. She definitely wouldn't have accepted Triple H's offer would this have been the case.

Her students had already left more than four hours ago. But Karo was restless. She didn't want to go back to her hotel room, didn't want to lay on her bed and think about her life and all the things that had happened. She had been thinking a lot lately, not wanting to allow herself to feel happy about spending time with Roman again. She was in an inner conflict with herself when it came to her husband. And yes, he still was her husband. Ever since meeting him in the hospital after Sika's heart attack, nobody had ever addressed the divorce papers ever again. And truth be told: she was glad that it had turned out this way.

But should she forgive him? Could she? That she didn't know. She enjoyed spending time with him, loved how he made her laugh, how he tried everything in his power to make her happy. Even if it was just by bringing along her favourite Starbucks coffee when he came to pick up his kids when they once again spent the weekend with him.

More than half a year ago, Roman had told her that he had been unfaithful to her. A lot of time had passed ever since. Times where they hadn't even spoken to each other. Times where they had fought constantly. They were about to get a divorce. They were about to call it quits. And now, after all these months, they were finally able to spend time with each other again. And without wanting to admit it: it made them both happy.

"If you keep going like this for another 5 minutes, you'll have bruises all over your back and ribs," somebody said all of a sudden, startling her and halting her in her movements.

She turned around slowly, surprised to see Roman in a far corner of the hall. It was almost midnight, and she had thought that she was alone. She didn't expect anybody to be there with her. Let alone him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously, rubbing her back. She indeed must have hit the ropes way too many times already.

"I wasn't needed for the Smackdown tapings," he simply said, making his way over to the ring she was training in. "So...I thought I might as well hit the gym for a little workout."

"In Tampa?" she asked confused, raising an eyebrow when he chuckled, surprised that he jumped onto the apron, entering the squared circle shortly afterwards.

"Who am I kidding? I was trying to reach you and you didn't pick up. I was worried. So I asked Dean if he knew where you could possibly be. Took me a little threat to get him to tell me where you are," the Samoan replied, hitting the ropes himself a couple of times.

"A little threat?" she asked, her curiosity peeked now.

"Don't act as if you didn't know about those porn magazines he keeps hiding under his bed," Roman said nonchalantly, winking at her when she giggled. "He wouldn't want me to tell Shannon about them."

"That still doesn't explain why you came all the way here to Tampa," she retorted, watching him carefully and intrigued.

He was wearing a neon yellow 'Under Armour' tank top that hugged his well-toned body perfectly. Black gym shorts of the same brand as well as his black Nike sneakers were topping off his outfit. He hadn't shaved in a few days, a scruff gracing his cheeks and neck. Something that she absolutely loved about him. There was no need to mention that his hair was put back tightly in a neat man bun at the nape of his neck. She loved looking at this man more than she actually should. Dean was right when he called him a Samoan Fabio.

"The kids are with my parents, nobody is waiting for me in my apartment...and you are here. Where else would I be? It's been too damn long since we last trained together. I heard Seth talk to Dean when I was under the shower, and he told him that you were constantly working overtime... for whatever reason. So let's work overtime together. That is, if you even want me to stay," he explained, being bold and forthcoming, but he didn't care. He was sick of acting as if he didn't enjoy spending time with her.

"Well...yeah...I mean, you can stay," she replied nervously, swallowing hard when he stopped right in front of her, grabbing her wrist.

"Irish Whip into the ropes. Show me how fast you are...or you'll get hit by a clothesline," he said, not even giving her a chance to process his words as he immediately threw her into the ropes.

She avoided his clothesline by ducking down once, then twice, before sliding through his spread legs, quickly getting up and hitting him with a dropkick.

"And you can believe...THAT," she teased, giggling when he looked up at her from where he was sitting on the mat with a shocked expression on his face.

"You still got it," he acknowledged, taking the hand she was offering him, chuckling when she yelped in surprise the moment he pulled her down, putting her in a small package.

"And you never lost it," she groaned when she was able to finally free herself from his grip, only to jump onto his back a few moments later, wrapping her legs around his midsection while she put his head into a sleeperhold. "Do you quit, Reigns? Quit. QUIT!"

"No way," he croaked, stumbling around as if he was about to faint. "If you don't want me to throw you into a turnbuckle, you'd better let go of me now."

"I don't even think about it. I'll use an Ambrose move on you before that's going to happen," she threatened, putting even more pressure onto his neck.

"An Ambrose move? What's that supposed to m...ahhhh...stop...," he yelled, although he couldn't help but laugh heartily when she started biting his ear and neck. "I'm not sure Ambrose would have that kind of effect on me if he used that move on me though."

"You're supposed to scream in pain and agony," she complained, feeling his body shake, goosebumps covering his skin. "So not fair."

He was about to bodyslam her onto the mat, but she stood the move, just like Seth would. That was one thing he had taught her back in the day and she was thankful that he had done so. He was an incredible wrestler. And a great teacher too.

He snarled playfully, loading his gun – which for him meant that he prepared his fist to deliver a superman punch to her. But as always, she was a lot faster, sidestepping him, only to hit him with another dropkick that sent him flying onto his back.

"Now it's on," she panted excitedly, quickly climbing up the ropes and onto the turnbuckle, starting her own little 'Eddie, Eddie' chant as she had always been a huge Eddie Guerrero fan, as a wrestler and person. "Frogsplash, bitch."

Roman had to stop himself from laughing out loud, amused about how much she was visibly enjoying this. And so was he. So much that he would even let her kick his ass for once.

A couple of moments later, she hit him with a perfectly executed frogsplash. One that would make the master of the 'lying, cheating and stealing' gimmick proud up there in heaven.

"One, two, three...ding ding ding," she announced after angling his leg, pinning him for the three count, completely out of breath. She was still not in shape. Not how she was supposed to be at least.

She wanted to get up when he stopped her by grabbing her arm, her upper body laying on his chest, his eyes looking deep into hers. It was as if the world stopped turning, as if it was only the two of them and nobody else.

"Go to dinner with me. Tomorrow...let's...please...just the two of us," he said after staring at her in silence for endless moments, his heart beating fast in his chest after the words had left his lips.

"Like...a date?" she asked curiously, the feeling of his body pressed against hers making it difficult for her to think straight.

"Like a date. No expectations though, no nothing. Just dinner. No strings attached," he replied, licking his suddenly very dry lips nervously, hoping that she would agree.

She seemed to think hard about his offer for what felt like an eternity, making him feel tense and anxious. She would probably say no. And he had promised himself that if she would decline, he would never ask her out again. It would hurt his male pride too much. As stupid as it might sound.

"Yes...okay...let's...let us have dinner tomorrow," she replied after a while, making him the happiest man on earth.

Things were finally looking up again. Or were they?


	24. You're still the one

**_I would like to thank BlondieC82, mitchy21, Ctina, LetitReigns525, lauraxxx, Lilygirl95, reignsbabee, calwitch, CarolReigns, benova13, WickedRedRose22, Samantha, Micah, Solosunni, SPARKELS77, fenner82, Insane Cali Gurl and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter._**

 ** _Please don't be mad at me but I love love love teasing you with the end of my chapters haha You guys are so amazing. Thank you SO much for your constant support. I know, I keep repeating myself._**

 ** _Close to 500 reviews. That would be a new record for me. WOW!_**

 ** _The end is near too…enjoy it all while it lasts._**

 ** _Now enjoy & review :)_**

 ** _..._**

 **Chapter 24: You're still the one**

"Splashing out today, Mr Reigns?" Karolina asked jokingly when Roman opened the door for her on the passenger's side of the car, helping her out. "The Jacksons?"

The _Jacksons_ restaurant was one of the priciest restaurants known for fine-dining in Pensacola. Roman was seemingly very serious about this.

"Only for you, beautiful," he replied, letting go of her hand when she stepped out of his SUV, smiling to himself when she pushed down her dress awkwardly.

"Such a charmer," she giggled, following him to the entrance of the restaurant, smiling at him when he opened the door for her. "And a gentleman at the same time."

"I try," he chuckled lightly, stepping forward to tell the lady at the reception desk that he had reserved a table for two on the name 'Reigns'.

They both followed her when she led the way to their table, a small booth in the far corner of the restaurant where they could spend a few hours privately without fans disturbing them. Although Roman wasn't in the title picture anymore, he was still very popular, the fans loving him for his in-ring talent and work ethic. And his good looks, of course.

"I'm glad you agreed to join me for dinner," he said truthfully, putting down the wine card after having ordered the finest bottle of white wine the restaurant had to offer. "I honestly was very nervous about asking you out."

"Rightfully so. I think I wouldn't have agreed a month or so ago," she admitted, smiling at him nervously. She was a little tense, not yet feeling a 100% comfortable around him again. It would definitely take a little more time.

"Kinda sad that my dad had to end up in hospital for us to finally speak again. I mean...civilly," he sighed, licking his lips nervously.

"Don't, Roman. Let's not talk about all the things that went wrong in the past tonight. I just...I want to enjoy myself. And so should you," she stated, not wanting to go down memory lane. They would need to someday, but tonight wasn't the night.

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that...I'm so happy you're here with me right now," he said truthfully, taking one of her hands into his, squeezing it softly, but quickly letting it go again. He didn't want to push his luck. He didn't even know where this was going after their date.

"You should be. I'm quite popular with men. I'm sure a lot of them are very jealous of you right now," she giggled, trying to ease the tension a little by joking around. They both needed that.

"Oh really? I'm one lucky bastard then, I guess," he replied, playing along.

"Yes, you indeed are. Can't believe I actually dumped Vin Diesel for you today. He texted me that he's in town tonight," she said, sighing heavily. Playfully of course.

"You actually still have the hots for this dude?" Roman laughed, shaking his head when his wife nodded her head enthusiastically. Of course she would.

"I have to admit though that I'm more into long-haired, Samoan wrestlers," she said, seriously now, looking at him intently. "That Jimmy Uso guy is hot as fuck."

"Fuck you," Roman mumbled quietly, trying to suppress a smile when she hugged his arm, laughing heartily.

"You should have seen your face when I said the first part. You looked so...hopeful," she teased, still snorting with laughter.

"That's not funny," he scoffed grumpily, but couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Aw, come on now. Stop playing the victim here. I'm pretty sure lots of women tell you on a daily basis how hot you are," she retorted, taking a sip of her water, a smile on her face.

"The thing is that I don't really care anymore. There's only one woman whose opinion matters to me," he said seriously, looking deep into Karo's eyes.

While Karo was still joking around, Roman was not in the mood for jokes when it came to him and other women. He admired his wife for trying to act so carefree when it came to his past with other women – even if it was just one – but he was serious about winning her back. And associating him with other women, even if it was just for fun, was not something he wanted to do that night.

"Is that right?" she asked, swallowing hard. She didn't expect their date to take such a serious turn so soon. Something that Roman quickly realized, so he decided to immediately change the pace again, not wanting to scare her away again. They were supposed to have fun.

"Yes...Leni's," he said while shrugging his shoulders innocently, chuckling when she looked at him wide-eyed, not having expected him to say that.

"You're such an asshole," she huffed, pouting while crossing her arms in front of her chest offended.

"And we both know you didn't mean it like that," he returned, chuckling when a smile crept onto her face.

God, had he missed her.

 **...**

 _When I first saw you, I saw love.  
And the first time you touched me, I felt love.  
And after all this time, you're still the one I love._

Maybe it was coincidence, and maybe it was even meant to be, but when Roman led Karo onto the small dancefloor of the restaurant after dinner, the pianist and singer decided to perform Shania Twain's _'You're still the one'._ It hit too close to home.

 _Looks like we made it  
Look how far we've come, my baby  
We mighta took the long way  
We knew we'd get there someday  
They said, "I bet they'll never make it."  
But just look at us holding on_  
 _We're still together, still going strong_

"We can go back to the table if you want to," he whispered, looking at her intently when he felt her tense up, insecurity reflecting in his eyes. The lyrics made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"No," she whispered back, smiling up at him nervously. "No, I want to keep dancing."

When she let go of his hand, withdrawing from him for a moment, he froze in place, not sure what to do.

"I know we're both 30 plus, but we really don't need to dance like old people," she said teasingly, wrapping her arms around his neck gently before softly pressing herself against his chest. "Don't make this awkward, Roman. I'm not going to beat your ass for touching me."

She smiled to herself when he slowly dropped his arms, cautiously placing his hands on her hips, breathing heavily.

"Relax," Karo said in a quiet voice, looking up at him momentarily.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I...you know...," he stuttered, all the self-confidence he had ever possessed vanishing into thin air instantly.

"Shhh," Karo simply said, once again burying her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent deeply. She had missed him so much.

 _You're still the one  
You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life  
You're still the one  
You're still the one that I love_

 _The only one I dream of_  
 _You're still the one I kiss good night_

This was not a Hollywood movie. It wasn't easy getting back together, acting as if nothing had happened. This was difficult, for both of them. They had been through a lot. Losing a baby, other people trying to get in between them...almost experiencing a failed marriage. They were parents of two beautiful children. Children that made their lives so much more colourful and fulfilled, but yet so much more demanding.

They had learned the hard way that being married, that being parents was no walk in the park. They had paid their dues, had overcome this all. But it was not easy to forget. It was not easy to snap your fingers and start all over again.

It needed getting used to each other again. Trust had to be restored. Love had to be found again – it was as simple as that.

 _Ain't nothing better  
We beat the odds together  
I'm glad we didn't listen  
Look at what we would be missing_  
 _They said, "I bet they'll never make it."  
But just look at us holding on  
We're still together still going strong_

They almost didn't make it. And nobody could be sure if they indeed made it again. But they were on a good way. Even if they decided to go separate ways for good, they were sure that from now on, they could at least be adults about it. Fighting with each other was not the solution. Not for them, and especially not for their kids.

 _You're still the one  
You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life  
You're still the one  
You're still the one that I love  
The only one I dream of  
You're still the one I kiss good night_

"I love this song," Karolina said quietly, not sure if he was even able to hear her as her nose was nuzzled into his neck. She felt so safe and secure in his arms.

"It's a beautiful song," he agreed, his lips lingering on her forehead lightly. He didn't want this moment to end. It felt like old times. Times he missed and cherished. Times he wanted to have back.

 _You're still the one  
You're still the one  
You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life  
You're still the one  
You're still the one that I love  
The only one I dream of  
You're still the one I kiss good night  
I'm so glad we made it  
Look how far we've come, my baby_

But would they really make it? Only time would tell...

 **...**

"This must be the weirdest thing I've ever done in my whole life," he said when they were about to reach the front door of their house, leisurely walking side by side.

"What? Drinking a cocktail called 'Orgasm' that exactly looked like your...well...you know..." she asked jokingly, giggling to herself when she couldn't even finish her own sentence. She was definitely more than a little tipsy.

"Very funny," he said, rolling his eyes before chuckling. "No...seriously... dropping off my own wife at our own house after a date, it's kinda weird."

Karolina just nodded her head silently, agreeing with his statement. It was indeed unusual. She hadn't even thought about it like that before.

"I remember that one time my boyfriend brought me back home when I was still a teenager...you know...back in Germany," she started, laughing to herself quietly. "He was about to kiss me for the first time when suddenly my dad flung the door open, yelling at him not to touch his little girl."

"Shut up. He didn't," Roman said, smirking. "How old were you?"

"16," she responded, stopping in front of the door, raising an eyebrow when he looked at her disbelievingly. "What?"

"You were 16 and your dad was still chasing away boys?" he asked in disbelief. "I mean...I'm sure this probably wasn't the first guy you went out with, right?"

"Have we never spoken about any of this?" she asked, trying to remember. But after all those years of being with Roman, she naturally couldn't recall everything they had ever talked about.

"Spoken about what? Your first boyfriend? You just told me that you were a late bloomer, that's all," he said, smiling mischievously when she giggled.

"I was 19," she confessed, shaking with laughter when he looked at her wide-eyed. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"It indeed is, considering how much you love sex," he retorted, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly, both of them laughing now.

"I do now, but I didn't back then...obviously. I mean...I hadn't gotten a taste of it until then," she giggled, feeling like a lovesick puppy talking to him about this.

"It's still astonishing to learn that these guys were able to resist you. I remember seeing pictures of you when you were 15, maybe 16. God has definitely graced you with those wonderful boobs, even back then," he dared to say, hoping she didn't misunderstand.

"My eyes are up here, big man," she said teasingly, pointing to her eyes with her index and middle finger, giggling when he blushed slightly. "Maybe I didn't want to show my boobies to just anyone."

"We need to stop talking about them...I mean...your...," he stuttered, feeling incredibly nervous now. It felt as if he was falling in love with her all over again. The butterflies in his stomach were acting up, his heart was beating fast in his chest and his hands were sweaty and shaky.

Karo nodded her head with a smile on her face, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable around her. Not anymore, not ever again.

They stared at each other in silence, the full moon illuminating the dark night, shining onto their faces. There was a slight breeze of wind in the air, making Karolina shiver. They forgot about the world around them. It was just the two of them and nobody and nothing else.

With his eyes locked on Karolina's, Roman took a step closer, swallowing hard. She wasn't sure her heart had ever pounded so fast in her life. He slowly leaned down a little, taking her cheeks into his soft hands, waiting for a reaction. But there was none. She just looked at him intently, expectantly even, her breath hitched in her throat.

Just as the longing became unbearable, Roman's lips met Karo's. The warmth of his mouth sent a current running through her body, covering it in goosebumps. She threw her arms around his neck gently as she lost herself in the feel of his soft, plump lips.

He pressed her against the front door softly and kissed her deeply, fiercely, like he hadn't been kissed in years. And that was exactly what it felt like. As if he hadn't kissed her in an eternity. He had missed this, he had missed _her_. What he was feeling in this moment was indescribable.

She reached up and tangled her fingers in his thick, dark hair, twisting them tight and pulling him close, not caring if she messed up his ponytail.

He tasted tentatively with his tongue as he traced it across her bottom lip, silently yet pointedly asking for entrance. When she parted her lips slightly, not needing to think about it twice, he quickly slipped his tongue inside, meeting hers, electricity running through their veins, just by that simple touch.

She tasted like wine and her strawberry flavoured lip-gloss, an intoxicating mixture he didn't want to miss anymore. Not ever again. She belonged to him, they belonged together.

He swallowed the moan that escaped her lips, pulling her even closer to his body. He wanted to feel her, wanted to show her how much that meant to him. How much _she_ meant to him.

Her breathing quickened as they deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing with hers playfully, and she hugged him closer to her body, pushing them together even more. If that was even possible.

When he pulled away, her face was flushed, and strands of blond hair had fallen into her eyes. Her eyes were half-closed, dreamy, as they took in his beautiful face. He held her tightly to him for another moment, not wanting to let go of her ever again. Then he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears, and she sighed.

"I missed this," he whispered, pecking her lips one more time, relief setting in when he saw her smile up at him shyly.

"I missed you," she admitted, her voice just above a whisper. She licked her lips before biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Don't," he panted, almost pleadingly, freeing her bottom lip from her teeth with his thumb, his eyes staring into hers closely. "You know what that does to me."

She didn't answer though. She placed her right hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down ungently, crashing her lips onto his once again. She kissed him furiously, with so much need and urgency. It surprised him. But he didn't fight it, didn't want to.

They both gasped for air after breaking the kiss, her lip-gloss smeared all over her lips, and his as well. She started rummaging through her purse, impatiently searching for her keys, groaning when she couldn't find them right away.

With shaky hands, she turned around, pushing the now-found key into the lock, opening the door.

"Karolina...," he breathed heavily when she took his hand into hers, wanting to pull him inside. "Are you sure?"

He knew what would happen if he stepped inside now. And he wanted that. He wanted it with every fibre of his body. But he didn't want her to regret it. He wanted her to want it just as much. They wouldn't be able to undo it, to forget about it – ever again.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life," she stated firmly, now also taking his free hand into hers, softly dragging him inside, chuckling when he kicked the door close with his foot. "Just like in good old times."

His lips found hers once again, entangling her in a passionate kiss that was screaming for more. His hands were everywhere, pulling at her dress, wedged in her hair, while hers were already working on his belt, both of them moving towards the stairs that would finally lead them upstairs.

"Fuck," he cursed when they both stumbled, but he caught her just in time before she fell flat on her ass onto the first step of the stairs. They must have been a little too hasty.

He sighed in relief when she giggled, catching her effortlessly when she jumped up slightly, automatically wrapping her legs around his waist while she crossed her arms behind his neck, her lips onto his once again. She couldn't get enough of his kisses.

"Take me upstairs...daddy," she whispered into his ear before biting the flesh of his neck teasingly, smiling to herself when a groan escaped him. She knew she would get to him by saying that.

Roman didn't need to be told twice. With his lips glued to hers, he quickly but cautiously made his way upstairs, careful not to trip or bump into anything, which proved to be difficult as Karo was freeing him of his shirt at the same time, distracting him even more.

He let her down when they finally reached their bedroom, waiting for her to open the door, stepping inside when she led the way. He stood still after entering the room, looking around nervously, his heart beating fast in his chest. It had been months since the last time he was in there. His side of the bed was empty. No pillow, no cover. It felt odd to him.

"I want you," she whispered, interrupting his thoughts, her hands on his belt again, fidgeting around with the buckle. She didn't even notice his hesitance.

Instead of answering, he pulled her close, attaching his lips to her neck, kissing and biting, making her moan. His right hand quickly found the zipper of her dress, slowly and carefully pulling it down, freeing her body from the disturbing piece of clothing, letting it fall to the ground so that she only had to step out of it.

He withdrew from her for a moment, admiring her in only her black bra and panties set as well as her wicked and kinky 5-inch sparkly high heels that should have been labelled as 'Fuck me heels'.

"Fuck yes...I missed that view," he panted, groaning when she once again bit her bottom lip, looking at him innocently. She was courageous that night. He liked that, a lot.

"And I missed this," she said while placing her hand onto his crotch, squeezing gently. "Those clothes are in the way though. We should do something about that."

Knowing that Karo's hands were way too shaky now, he took matters into his own hands, unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his pants, his eyes never leaving Karo's. He kicked off his shoes, awkwardly and almost clumsily getting rid of his socks, before finally hooking his fingers into both his pants and boxer-shorts at the same time, not wanting to waste any more time. He wanted her, he _needed_ her.

She licked her lips when he was now standing in front of her naked, his dick rock-hard and big, impressive even. Almost automatically, she wanted to go down on her knees, her eyes fixed on his erection, her chest heaving up and down unsteadily. But he stopped her before she could move any further, shaking his head negatively.

"No...not tonight," he said firmly, his voice, however, just above a whisper. "It's about you tonight...babygirl."

Tears shot into her eyes the moment he used that term of endearment. It was his nickname for her. It had always been. And she hadn't heard it in months. Her heart beat uncontrollably fast in her chest and she didn't know how to feel anymore. Being turned on and emotionally torn at the same time was unfamiliar.

"Turn around," he ordered after a few moments, smiling at her warmly when she looked at him unsure, stepping closer to her again when her back was facing him.

She could feel his chest pressed against her back, his breath on her skin, his erection pushing into her backside, making her swallow hard. She was beyond excited and nervous.

He kissed her neck softly, letting his hands slide over her arms, up and down, up and down, before resting them on her stomach, his lips teasing her earlobe now, licking and biting.

"As much as I want to fuck you in your heels, I know you're dying to get out of them. I know you better than you think, Karolina. Your face says it all," he stated, smiling when she giggled. He could see right through her.

"And here I was trying to be all sexy and exciting," she complained, the smile never leaving her face though.

"You are...you are all of that and more," he quickly said, pressing another kiss to her neck. "And now take off your shoes...and panties."

He groaned out loud when she bent down slowly, her hands pushing down her panties, her ass now pressed against his crotch, the feeling of her skin against his overwhelming.

He put his hands on her hips, pushing forward in a thrusting motion, his dick hardening even more. He couldn't wait to be inside of her again.

She moved her backside in circles while getting out of her shoes, teasing him more and more, yelping quietly when he pulled her up by her long blond hair, with his free hand unclasping her bra expertly in a quick manner. She loved that about him. He had always been very eager and skilful.

"Take it off," he demanded, not needing to specify what he was talking about as she knowingly rid herself of her bra, leaving her completely naked in front of him. "And now lay down on the bed...on your back. Get comfortable."

It was as if Karo had nothing to say. She just obeyed, loving his dominant side. His deep, raspy voice always sent chills up and down her spine. She had missed this so much.

She crawled onto the bed teasingly, swaying her hips from one side to the other, even spreading her legs a little to give him a sneak peek of what awaited him. And by the way his breathing changed, he had caught onto it.

She breathed in and out heavily when he made his way over to where she was now laying on the bed, his hard cock jiggling while he moved, making her mouth water. She would do anything just to taste him right now.

He hovered over her, covering her body with his, both of them eye-level. Without saying another word, he pressed his lips onto hers, both of them kissing each other with so much passion and need that it knocked the wind out of them.

With one arm he supported himself in order not to crush her with his weight while his free hand travelled to her breast, kneading it, rubbing her nipple, making it hard, never breaking the kiss. She raised her hips, urging him to finally enter her, but he wasn't done with her just yet. Not at all.

"Have patience," he said out of breath, a smirk on his face when she sighed in disappointment, her lips swollen and red.

"But I want you now. I don't wanna wait any longer," she whined, pecking his lips quickly before wrapping her legs around his waist, pushing forward again.

"Not so fast, babygirl. I need to make sure you're all nice and wet for me first," he replied, chuckling when she moaned.

The moment she invited him in earlier that night, he had planned on pleasing her all night long. He wanted to kiss and touch every inch of her body. He wanted to drive her insane, make her scream his name, make her moan and pull his hair. And while he still insisted on doing so, he knew he had to make it quick now. They both needed each other, now more than ever. Who said they would stop after their first round? They had some lost time to make up for.

He moved down her body slowly, his tongue and lips leaving a wet trail from her mouth over to her neck, her collarbone, teasing both of her breasts, sucking on her nipples, licking over them to ease the pain from his bites. He circled her bellybutton with his tongue while his hands kneaded her breasts, smiling to himself when she almost automatically spread her legs for him.

He shifted his body to lay down in between her legs now, angling them by pushing them even further apart with his hands, his head now dipping lower, stopping right in front of her core.

Karo swallowed hard when she watched him inhale deeply, her scent reaching his nostrils, making him close his eyes for a brief moment. Her arousal smelled intoxicating.

"I wonder if you taste as good as you smell," he rasped out, licking his lips hungrily. "Such a pretty pussy."

In order to give his words the importance they deserved, he licked and wet his index and middle finger before touching her clit, teasing it with circling motions, the moan that escaped her lips music to his ears.

With his free hand, he moved his index finger along her entrance, coating it with her juices, feeling how she placed her legs onto his shoulders now, not being able to hold them up herself any longer. She was losing strength and clearly his fingers were to blame for this.

She screamed when he pushed his index finger inside of her, her hips moving forward slightly when he increased the pressure on her swollen nub at the same time.

"Fuck this," he said suddenly, quickly removing his fingers before dipping low with his head, his mouth finding her clit, sucking it in between his lips, licking and teasing.

He was becoming impatient now, his mouth moving even lower, his tongue entering her, fucking her. Only a few minutes later, he was feasting on her, absorbing her juices, swallowing them while her screams and moans encouraged him to keep going, to go faster.

"I need to be inside of you now," he panted after letting go of her gently, his goatee glistening with her juices, his lips swollen and wet.

"Let's not wait any longer then," she agreed, wanting him just as badly. She was glad that he stopped just in time as she had been very close. She didn't want to cum without him being inside of her.

He slowly and carefully moved up again, stopping when he was eye-level with her. He looked deep into her eyes, kissing her lips softly and sweetly, letting her get a taste of herself.

"Last chance to back out now," he said quietly, hoping that she wouldn't even think about it. He wasn't sure he could even stop himself anymore.

"I want this, Roman. I want _you_ ," she replied huskily, once again raising her hips to prove her point.

They looked at each other intently, his eyes fixed on hers, looking deep into them while his hips slowly moved forward until his cock found its way to her entrance. The head entered her carefully, spreading and stretching her tight walls, letting him slide in inch by inch, agonizingly slow, until he was fully imbedded into her.

He paused for a moment when he was finally reunited with her again. Cherishing the feeling to the fullest. Cherishing being inside of her again. His woman, his wife. The love of his life. He was finally home again. In more ways than just one.

"Are you ok?" she asked in a whisper, looking at him concerned when he didn't move, her face flushed.

He was startled by her question, only sensing now that he had been lost in thought, lost in her.

"I love you," he whispered instead, ignoring her question.

Karolina looked at him wordlessly, taken aback. She didn't expect him to say these three words to her so fast. Not again. It was a shock.

He searched her eyes, waiting for a reaction, afraid that he had fucked up once again. But he just couldn't help it. The words just slipped out of him. He had no control over them. Had no control over his feelings, his actions, his words. He was completely under her spell.

"I love you too," she whispered back, tears once again filling her eyes. She had longed to hear these words again. She had craved to hear them for months now.

And who was she to fool not to say it back to him? Of course she loved him. She had never stopped loving him. He was the love of her life, her husband, the father of her children. Nobody would ever compare to him. Nobody.

His lips met hers, kissing her softly, almost cautiously, as if she was a porcelain doll. She was so precious to him, so incredibly important. It was a shame that he only realized it after having lost her already.

"Please move. I want to feel you...," she said, pecking his lips over and over again. It felt so good to feel him inside of her again.

He did as he was asked, his thrusts slow but intense, his lips still glued to hers, both of them moving in sync, meeting each other's movements. This was plain vanilla. To others it might have been boring even. But it was what they needed. He wanted to show her how much he loved her. She wanted to feel him close to her, wanted and needed to feel and realize that he was hers again.

"You feel so good, babygirl...so incredibly amazing. I missed you so much," he panted after endless minutes of passionate lovemaking, his body covered in beads of sweat, his hair sticking to his forehead, his breathing shallow.

"I will never let you go again. I need you," she said out of breath, cupping one of his cheeks softly, once again kissing him. "I'm about to cum, Roman. Please...I...please make me cum."

He was relieved when she had said those words, having fought his own orgasm for several minutes already. And now he could finally let go. He wanted to cum with her, both of them together, at the same time. Just how it was supposed to be.

"Then cum for me. Cum for me, Karolina. I want you to scream my name," he encouraged her, speeding up, his thrust long and hard now, becoming faster and faster with each second passing by.

"Fuck yes...right there...right there. Don't stop...oh god, Roman," she screamed, clawing her nails into his back, leaving a few marks there that he would still feel in the coming days. But she was sure he wouldn't mind.

"I'm cumming, babygirl...I can't stop anymore. Cum with me," he groaned, hitting her sweet spot over and over again.

And then it happened. Both of them screaming, moaning, clinging to each other, lost in their passion, their love, their reunion. It was explosive. It was intense. It was like a big bang.

They remained in that position for several more minutes, both of them trying to come down from their high, desperately needing to steady their breathing again. Their bodies were drenched in sweat, their hearts beating fast. But it was so worth it. So unbelievably worth it.

And they hopefully wouldn't regret it in the end.


	25. Going home

**_I would like to thank Micah, Lilygirl95, CarolReigns, Ctinaisfashion, lourdes1694, BlondieC82, Solosunni, Samantha, Babygirl65, WickedRedRose22, calwitch, lauraxxx, SPARKELS77, benova13, Dancer4Life, reignsbabee, JxTina and all the guests for reviewing the last chapter._**

 _ **Surprising, huh? ;-)**_

 ** _But can you blame them? No? Didn't think so lol_**

 _ **Well, nothing else to say for now...**_

 _ **Enjoy & review :)**_

 ** _..._**

 **Chapter 25: Going home**

 _I'm staring out into the night, trying to hide the pain_

 _I'm going to the place where love_

 _And feeling good don't ever cost a thing_

 _And the pain you feel's a diff_ _erent kind of pain_

 _Well, I'm going home, back to the place where I belong_

 _And where your love has always been enough for me_

 _I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong_

 _I don't regret this life I chose for me_

 _But these places and these faces are getting old_

 _So I'm going home, well I'm going home_

 _The miles are getting longer, it seems, the closer I get to you_

 _I've not always been the best man or friend for you_

 _But your love remains true and I don't know why_

 _You always seem to give me another try_

('Home' – Daughtry)

He couldn't stop watching her. The way her chest heaved up and down steadily, the way she snored lightly with her mouth slightly agape, her hair a mess and her make up smudged. She was so incredibly beautiful to him, especially in that very moment.

He wasn't sure what would happen when she woke up. Wasn't sure if she was going to regret what happened between them the night before. Although she had been slightly tipsy, being drunk should not be an excuse. She had been just as conscious as he had. And he was sure, maybe even hoped, that she had wanted it just as much.

She had fallen asleep in his arms just a few hours ago, her head placed on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. The butterflies in his stomach were acting up once again, a smile creeping onto his face just by thinking about it.

She must have moved in her sleep, now laying on her back, her head still facing him. He supported himself on his left hand, watching her intently, not wanting to wake her up. But he just couldn't help brushing a strand of hair out of her face. He wanted to touch her, _needed_ to touch her. Maybe he only wanted to make sure that he wasn't really dreaming.

He smiled when she smacked her lips absentmindedly, her eyes fluttering open, still fighting to stay closed but she was clearly losing that battle.

"Good morning, babygirl," Roman whispered when she eventually focused on him, his breath hitched in his throat when her beautiful blue eyes greeted him.

"Good morning," Karolina croaked, stretching her arms and legs before yawning heartily, making him chuckle. "What time is it?"

"I have no idea. 10? Maybe 11?" he replied, his heart beating fast in his chest. He was ridiculously nervous.

She shifted carefully so that she was now laying sideways, facing him, a giggle escaping her lips.

"What's so funny?" he asked curiously, touching first his hair, then his face, wondering if something was wrong.

"I left you a little souvenir last night," she retorted, touching his neck softly where she had left not only one but two love bites. It was hard not to notice.

"I'm gonna wear it proudly. Like a 14-year-old teenager. Think I'm even gonna brag about it to Dean and Seth," he replied, chuckling. He stared deep into her eyes, none of them saying a word for a few moments, just enjoying each other's presence. "Last night was wonderful."

As soon as the words left his lips, he held his breath, waiting for her reaction. He needed to know where they were going from here, needed confirmation. Anything really. He hated being in the dark, not knowing if he should keep up his hopes or not.

"Not sure if the word 'wonderful' can even compare to that," she said, caressing his scruffy cheek softly, smiling at him warmly. "But let's go with it for now because I don't seem to find a suitable word myself."

That was a relief. She seemingly didn't regret sleeping with him. He took it as a first victory that day.

"I wanna kiss you," he whispered after a moment, licking his lips nervously, his eyes never leaving hers.

"What's stopping you then? My bad breath? I'm sorry but I s…," she started, a mischievous smirk on her face when he sighed in annoyance, stopping her midsentence. "Sorry. Just trying to ease the tension here a little."

Roman swallowed hard, appreciating the fact that she was trying to make this easier for him. But this wasn't easy. A lot was at stake for him. Maybe she didn't even realize it that much. He needed to stop beating around the bush. What did he have to lose anyways? He could only win.

"I think we need to talk about this, Karolina," he began, pulling her close, his hand on her naked hip now. "A lot of "I missed you's", "I love you's" and "I never want to let you go again's" were said last night. And I definitely need to know if they were only said in the heat of the moment or if you really meant them. Because I did. I meant every word I said. I'm really serious about this."

Karo looked at Roman intently, her hand still on his cheek, admiring his sparkling grey eyes. It broke her heart to see how insecure he seemed to be. He appeared to be afraid of her reaction, of the response he would receive.

"I want to come home, babygirl," he said firmly when she remained silent, the words well-thought-out and expressed well-considered. He meant it. He really did.

She was speechless, at a loss of words. She didn't expect him to say anything like that. Not after only one night.

Tears welled up in her eyes, an awkward smile creeping onto her face when she realized what this meant. He wanted to come back home. He wanted to be with her, be with their kids again. He wanted his family back. And she couldn't have been happier about this.

"I must be foolish for saying this but I want you back here with us as well," she stuttered full of emotion, a sob escaping her lips. "And you know what? I should probably make you sweat this out, make you suffer just a little more. People will call me stupid for taking you back just like that, after one night of passionate lovemaking. But we both know that this wasn't just some meaningless one night stand. It was so much more than that. Yes, you've broken my heart, Roman. You've ripped it out of my chest, threw it to the ground and stomped all over it over and over again. But I love you. You're not just some guy. You are my husband and the father of my children. And although I've always told myself that if you should ever cheat on me, I would never forgive you for it, I can't help but to do so. I forgive you. That doesn't mean that I will forget though. I won't. This won't be easy. It's going to take a lot of time to rebuild trust again. I guess...no...I certainly think that we need help. Professional help. A therapy...anything really. But the love is still there. It always has been. And why prolong this any further? Why should I make us suffer by putting you on a long leash? You belong here with us. Your children miss you. And so do I."

 _Big boys don't cry_ , it once said in a song. But Roman didn't care. He didn't care that single tears were streaming down his face. Because he was happy. He was happy and relieved and just unbelievably grateful that she would give him a second chance. He would do everything to prove to her that he was serious about this. That he loved her and only her. No other woman would come in between them again. Not ever.

"I love you. I love you so much for being such a strong woman, for standing above this and for giving me another chance although I probably don't even deserve it. I'll never be able to make this up to you, but I'm gonna try. I will kiss the ground you walk on, I will anticipate your every wish. I w…," he rambled on, only stopping when she placed her index finger on his lips, halting him.

"You only need to promise me one thing," she said quietly, her voice only above a whisper. "Don't ever break my heart again. Don't betray me, don't cheat on me. Be mine and mine alone. Because this is definitely your last chance."

"I promise. I swear to God, I promise," he quickly replied, pecking her lips sweetly. "I will talk to you whenever something is bothering me. I won't bottle things up anymore. We'll talk things out, work them out. I w…"

"Roman, baby, please stop," she said with a giggle, cupping his face with both of her hands. "It's okay. It's in the past. We've overcome this. We'll make this work. Just one more thing…"

"Anything. You say it, I'll do it," he retorted, smiling when she kept giggling. He was so relieved that this went by so smoothly.

"Just make out with me, would you? I've never enjoyed kissing someone as much as I did yesterday. Not even with you in back in the day," she joked, making him chuckle. "How did you improve so much?"

"I was so desperate that I couldn't help abusing those oranges with my tongue instead of eating them in catering. Tasted great too. You should try it as well," he teased, kissing her lips sweetly.

"You wanna tell me I need to improve my kissing skills?" she asked in shock, mockingly of course, placing her hand over her heart. "That hurt."

"Hey, that's not fair. You more or less said mine sucked as well," he complained playfully, pinching her sides.

But instead of answering him, she placed her lips onto his, kissing him passionately. She put so much love into that kiss that it knocked the wind out of him, making him realize that he wasn't dreaming, that this was indeed real.

They were so lost in each other that they didn't even hear the front door open and close. They didn't hear Leni and Siaki talking to their Uncle Dean on their way up the stairs, didn't notice that there were footsteps in the hallway leading to their bedroom.

They were surprised accordingly when all of a sudden the bedroom door was opened, revealing Dean in the doorway.

"Karo, babe, are you…WHAT THE FUCK?" Dean yelled the very moment his eyes fell on Roman, not having expected to see him there. Not at all.

Of course he knew that Karo had a date with his best friend the day before. That was why he and Shannon kept the kids overnight, giving the two friends all the time they needed with each other. He never would have believed for them to end up in bed together. Not so soon.

"Close the fucking door, dumbass. And stop yelling," Roman chastised, turning his head to look at his friend who seemed to be more than just a little perplexed.

Dean closed the door from the inside after stepping in, even locking it in order not to risk the kids to barge in. This was not something they should see. Not if he wasn't sure what this was all about.

"Are you guys naked?" the short-haired man asked, quickly making his way over to where they were laying in bed, not even giving them any time to answer as he slightly lifted the blanket, gaping at both Roman and Karolina when they were indeed naked, chuckling when Roman quickly pulled down the fabric again. "You guys ARE naked. Holy shit!"

"Would you just stop screaming, for God's sake?" Roman begged through gritted teeth. He had to smile, however, when he felt how Karo buried her head into the crook of his neck, probably blushing. There seemingly were no boundaries for Dean. If he wanted to know if they were naked, he would find out if they were. He had no shame.

"Hey Karo, princess, look at me please," Dean demanded softly, smirking mischievously when the German native looked his way, clearly embarrassed. "I come in here to check on you and you're romping around with the big man right here? You fucking slut."

"Fuck you," she huffed, although having a smile on her face. Dean caught them. He always did.

"Well, I would love to but I'm pretty sure Reigns has taken care of that already," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows. "You know what? I'll take the kids with me again. You guys keep fucking. Have sex. Have sex all day long. Fuck yes, this is awesome."

"Dean, wait…," Karo called, stopping him mid-movement. "Don't tell Leni and Siaki just yet. We want to tell them ourselves. I think they should hear this from us."

"Hear what exactly?" he dared to ask, hoping they would give him exactly the information he wanted to hear.

"That we're going to give it another try," Roman finished for his wife, chuckling when Dean put his hand into a fist as a victory sign.

"God yes! I love you two," he rejoiced, making his way back to them, bending down to kiss both of their foreheads, not without making the most awkward kissing noises a human being could come up with. "Barbecue tonight. 7 pm. My place. Wear clothes, please. And now continue fucking."

And with that he left the room, leaving behind a very dumbfounded Karolina and Roman.

Roman turned his head to look at Karo, smiling when she giggled.

"You know what?" he asked, biting his bottom lip thoughtfully. "I think we should listen to Dean for once. Let's keep fucking."

 **…**

"Is daddy really going to stay overnight?" Leni asked for the umpteen times that afternoon, her eyes big and bright, full of happiness.

"I know you're excited, sweetheart, but we've already explained this to you at least ten times today. Daddy is going to stay with us again _forever_ ," Karo confirmed, smiling at her daughter, giggling when Roman caught her just in time before she could fall as she was walking backwards.

"Look ahead, princess. You almost knocked over your brother," Roman said, feeling like the happiest man on planet earth.

With an arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders as well as his two beautiful children walking in front of him, it just couldn't get any better. He couldn't wait to tell his friends about the news. If Dean hadn't done so already.

After the so-called 'continuation of fucking', Roman had picked up Leni and Siaki at Dean's place in the early afternoon, giving his wife some well-deserved alone-time under the shower to process all the things that had happened during the last 24 hours.

After returning home, they all sat down in the living room, explaining to their children that mommy and daddy were not fighting anymore and that they would all be living together again. They were sure they had never seen their kids happier than in this very moment. It had taken a toll on them, so much was clear.

"Daddy, will you read me a bedtime story tonight?" Siaki asked, now also walking backwards, this time almost knocking over his sister.

"Of course, partner. And tomorrow the four of us will go to Disneyworld. How does that sound?" Roman asked, grinning at Karolina when she pinched his side, looking at him expectantly. "It's an exception, I promise."

He kissed her lips passionately, trying to retain his composure as he would have loved to keep kissing her over and over again. He couldn't get enough of her and her soft, plump lips. How had he even survived these last couple of months without her?

Leni and Siaki ran up the front porch of Dean and Shannon's house, cheering and screaming, excitedly ringing the doorbell and knocking on the front door several times, giggling to themselves.

"Well, aren't you two just a little too hyper today?" Dean asked after opening the door, chuckling when the kids ran inside without even greeting him, his eyes now taking in the sight in front of him, a smile on his face. "You have no idea how good it is to see you guys like that."

"How? Wearing clothes?" Roman teased, fist-bumping his best friend when he reached the front door.

"I actually enjoyed the sight of Karo's naked body, if I may say so," he retorted, hugging Karolina tightly, laughing when Roman slapped him upside the head. "Thought so."

"Have you told Shannon?" Karo asked after the short-haired man let go of her, smiling at him when he kissed her cheek softly.

"Nope. She doesn't know. Nobody does. Seth and Maxine are already here as well," Dean answered, letting them both in.

Even though they had all spent time together as friends even after Roman and Karolina's breakup, it was different this time. The first few times after the separation, things had been awkward. They had always paid extra attention that the two of them wouldn't sit next to each other, would be careful what they said or did. It wasn't easy. Then, in the last couple of weeks, things had become more bearable again, seeing as Roman and Karolina had started talking civilly with each other again. Still, nobody would expect the two of them to end up back together so quickly.

"I've actually texted Seth this morning. I told him that something shocking happened and that I urgently needed to talk to him tonight. I can only imagine how on edge he must have been all day," Karo said with a giggle, now fist-bumping Dean, gladly accepting his compliments for her evil behaviour.

"Now I understand why he's been so fucking unbearable ever since he arrived. Jeez, he's such a girly girl sometimes," Dean scoffed, following Karo and Roman through the living room of his house, smiling to himself when they kept on holding hands, even when they made their way through the patio doors that would lead them to the back porch where their friends and kids have already gathered.

The look on their friends' faces was priceless. Nothing would ever compare to this. Seth looked back and forth between Karo's and Roman's faces as well as their joined hands, his mouth agape in shock, his eyes wide open. It appeared as if he was trying to find the right words, to process what he was witnessing. He was in pure and utter shock.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Shannon more stated than asked, not believing what she was seeing. Now she understood why Dean brought the kids back with him after wanting to drop them off at Karo's place earlier that day. And she had believed her husband when he told her that Karo was still too hungover after her date.

Karo and Roman watched in curiosity how Maxine skyrocketed out of her chair, making her way over to them before hugging them both tightly, surprising them all with her reaction.

"I'm so happy for you," she simply said, looking at them both with a genuine smile on her face. "I…this…it's so great to see you guys like that again. I…just…Thank God."

"Well, we still need to break the news to you guys though. How can you be so sure that we a…," Roman started, chuckling when Shannon interrupted him mid-sentence, now standing up as well.

"Really Ro? Are you kidding me? It's fucking obvious," the brown-haired woman huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest, a playful glimmer in her eyes.

Roman just shrugged his shoulders, an innocent smile on his face. He turned his head to look at his wife, sensing that she was focusing on something else, his stare following hers. She stared at Seth who was now getting up as well.

"Roman, we need to talk," the two-tone-haired man said unemotionally, with his head motioning into another direction, silently yet pointedly letting his friend know that he was serious.

"So, uhm, in other words…yes, we're back together," Karo announced happily, an awkward and uneasy smile on her face since the tension was thick ever since Seth didn't seem to take the news too well.

She was glad that the kids were busy playing on the other side of the back porch where Dean had built a playground-like court with a sand-box and swings a few years ago. They would find out sooner or later that Uncle Roman and Auntie Karolina were in love again – or however they would want to call it.

"What's wrong, dude?" Roman asked after following Seth into a far corner, not understanding his best friend's reaction. "Aren't you happy for us?"

Seth sighed heavily, running a shaky hand over his face before looking at his dark-haired friend intently.

"Don't you ever break her heart again, Roman. Next time you fuck up like that, this 'we are brothers' thing is done and over with. Karo's my best friend and I love her. I won't let you get away with it again, I swear to God," Seth said in a serious manner, looking over to where all of their friends were watching them, uncertain and worried expressions on their faces. "Other than that…FUCK YES. YOU GUYS ARE BACK TOGETHER."

The last few words were screamed, and Roman chuckled when Seth hugged him hastily, patting his back proudly before whispering to him that he was incredibly happy for them.

"Go to my wife and let her know as well. I think she needs your consent more than I do. Although I honestly have to admit that I wouldn't have given a damn if you guys didn't approve. I wanted my woman back and nobody could have stopped me," Roman said with a chuckle, nudging his friend's shoulder while they were making their way back to their friends and loved ones.

"God, Seth, you scared the shit outta me," Karo admonished, pulling at his ponytail slightly.

"I had to deliver a message to him, babe. I think he understood though," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her firmly, kissing her temple before loosening his grip on her so that he could look deep into her eyes. "I'm so happy for you. I know you love him. We all know you've never stopped loving him. And I hope…no…I'm sure that this will be your happily ever after."

Karo hugged him once again, a huge smile on her face.

"You guys had sex last night, didn't you?" he asked quietly, his lips close to her ear. "You look thoroughly fucked and satisfied."

She giggled when she took a step back, nodding her head sheepishly. "We had sex all night long and continued this morning and afternoon. It was about time."

"I'm glad. I was about to make a proposal to Maxi. I felt so horrible when looking at your pitiful 'I desperately need sex' face that I was wondering if she would agree to let me give it to you real good…at least for once," he stated, a serious expression on his face.

"Shut up. You didn't," she scoffed, slapping his chest in shock.

"No, I didn't. Would have been funny though," he replied, laughing heartily when she flipped him the bird.

"Since we all hate champagne, I think I'll sacrifice my best bottle of vodka tonight. In honour of the occasion, of course," Dean said when they were all reunited at the big table again, huge smiles on their faces.

It was needless to say that he had hidden the bottle underneath his chair already, having known that they would have to celebrate something. So it didn't take long for them all to hold a glass filled with the burning liquid in their hands, holding it high.

"Here's to Karolina and Roman. Here's to our friendship and family, our beautiful women and wonderful kids. Here's to us," Dean said loudly, moving his arm into the middle of the table, waiting for his friends to clink their glasses with his.

"HERE'S TO US," they all said simultaneously.

 **THE END (for now)**

Wow! This is it!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Without all of you this story, this series, wouldn't be what it is today. Your constant support, the reviews, messages, favorites and follows...it meant and still means the world to me.

I especially would like to thank my good friend PezzieCoyote for being the most amazing beta reader ever.

Huge thanks to my beautiful friends Dina and Gabi as well for brainstorming with me and always being there for me.

500+ reviews for 25 chapters. I'm blown away. You guys are real stars.

Maybe I could have continued with this. The end must have been a surprise for you. You guys had so many amazing ideas. You really did. But I wanted and needed to stop right there.

Roman and Karolina...they are in love. So yes, this might have been quick but in the end, we have always known that they would always belong together.

I'm not sure if I'll continue writing. I'm thinking about further one or two-shots regarding this series. Maybe even a totally new story. But time is not my friend at the moment. So have patience.

I love you all. Each and every single one of you. You all have made this a huge success and I'm forever grateful for this.

Please don't forget about me, you beautiful people.

I'll be back...


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